


The Day Before the Future

by ToxicPooPoo



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Miraculous Ladybug, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character study???, Crossover, M/M, Minor Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi, One-Sided Attraction, Secrets, Slice of Life, Tired Hinata Hajime, but like theres still action if youre into that lol, i dont know what im doing but im chugga chugga chuggin, its basically the same thing as miraculous ladybug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 65,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23663863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicPooPoo/pseuds/ToxicPooPoo
Summary: “Oh, Mister Bug, you’re so kind! Too good for someone as disgusting as me,” Chat Noir stared at him with bright swirling green eyes, glossy sun rays painting them into a deep emerald hue. His white hair bounced as a chuckle escaped his throat, “I can only help hope evolve. I’m your stepping stool, so don’t let my hero identity fool you. There’s no way I can rid of this despair deep within me as much as I tried.”“Chat Noir, you really don’t get what I’m trying to say,” Hajime sighed.-I've been dying for some Danganronpa and Miraculous Ladybug crossovers so I guess I had to do it myself, eyyyAU where Nagito is Chat Noir and Hajime is Mister Bug cuz this is a free country...
Relationships: Hinata Hajime & Nanami Chiaki, Hinata Hajime & Soda Kazuichi, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Komaeda Nagito & Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko & Soda Kazuichi
Comments: 97
Kudos: 252





	1. The Day Before the Future

**Author's Note:**

> yes. this is, in fact, a danganronpa and miraculous crossover. yes, I do feel a bit of shame.
> 
> HOWEVER, i needed this.... for so fucking long.... so i finally did it, i finally made a crossover.
> 
> do i regret it? no because in order to live a happy life, you just gotta become one with your dumbass self. ik the title is a title of a song in the soundtrack, I listened to it the whole time and I am to lazy to make a better title lol
> 
> anyway enjoy

Hajime had trouble paying attention to Ms. Yukizome after the seating change. Once he finally sat down and stared up at the chalkboard, a cloud of white hair would always catch his attention. He knew, at that moment, that these next few months would be horrible for his grades. Of course, it never helped when a muffled giggle came from Chiaki, who, by the way, sat next to him and always gave him this all-knowing smirk after he came back from staring… At Nagito.

The day Nagito transferred into his school was a day he would always remember. For some reason, that charismatic smile would always entrance Hajime and he never knew how he could ever take his eyes off of it. Especially the first time he saw it. He was sure that he made such a fool out of himself, right in front of Nagito, the boy whose face is plastered on so many billboards it was hard to count at this point. 

Before long, most of his close friends didn’t even need to be informed about his crush because it was just so obvious. Could Hajime really help it, though? The way those dusty green eyes would occasionally drift off towards the window, pale skin gracing daytime sunlight, wild hair falling down over his hood, curling near the edges into an untamed, yet charming style. It was a sight he had trouble keeping his eyes off of. 

So, yeah, it was really hard to stop staring in the middle of class. In fact, it was harder to keep Chiaki from poking his arm with the sharp side of the pencil because of his oh, so calming hobby of Nagito-watching. Seriously, it’s normal! Nagito _is_ a model, a famous one, too. You just can’t blame him.

“Hey, hey, Hajime,” a sweet voice tore him from his daydreams and back into reality. He lifted his chin from his palm and looked over to see Chiaki pushing a paper towards his direction. The paper crumpled near his hand and Hajime lifted it up to stop Chiaki’s passive-aggressive paper shoving. “We’re doing the odd-numbered questions. I think you can do number one, I’ll do number three, you five, so on, and so on.”

“Ah, yeah. Got it.”

He took his pencil and began to scribble his name at the top before scanning the questions below. History wasn’t really his strong suit. Dates, names, timelines, they all kinda jumbled up inside of his head. Nevertheless, Hajime pushed forward and began to jot down the answers to the best of his abilities.

The bell rang once his pencil graced the very last question and it only filled Hajime with a bit of dissatisfaction. Chiaki, on the other hand, finished only a few minutes before, probably because she was _good_ at memorizing numbers. Hell, it was probably a plus due to her horrible video game addiction. The whole class stood up from their desks and gathered their things, talking to one another about this and that, how hard this upcoming test will be, just mindless chatter. Everyone had laid their papers on Ms. Yukizome’s desk and thanked her before leaving for lunch, the few hours Hajime was really looking forward to. And it was just his luck that he managed to run into Nagito not only a few minutes out the door.

When he realized who he ran into, he could already feel the sweat gather near his neck. Hajime was certain he looked like a train wreck the second his eyes focused on those green ones. Immediate shutdown! Mayday, mayday, everything is spinning _out of control!_ The white-haired boy smiled and Hajime’s words were sucked right out of his brain, scattering all over the floor along with his–his books! Hajime dropped his books when he ran into Nagito, God he’s such a dumbass.

“Close call, I almost tripped, Hajime. Could’ve been a goner!” Nagito laughed to himself as he bent down, collecting the textbooks before blowing the few strands of hair out of his face.

_His breath smells like mint. Is that what being a model is like? Does your breath always smell like mint?_

Nagito cleared his throat as he handed the books over to Hajime. A thin white eyebrow rose as the boy was left in a bit of confusion, awaiting the other’s response. It lingered a bit too long before Hajime was able to finally get his gears turning again. “Thanks! A… Lot!”

Hajime was sure the smile he tried putting up looked like a pained grimace. Not cool, that was not cool at all. Pretty sure he came off as a bit rude too. Shit.

“No problem. Just watch out where you’re going because you might run into something.”

“Yeah! Will do, sorry.” 

Oh, that was a train wreck. Rude, dumb, and rude. And dumb. Why couldn’t he get his act straight? He’s a guy, he should be head-strong, confident, he shouldn’t be a mess around someone he likes, that’s just not cool. Hajime often wondered what it’d be like to live without this huge crush. Every time he did, though, he came to the conclusion that it was just _wonderful._ It was hard to hate something that made his heart flutter and–shit, now he was thinking like some cheesy romance character. _Get a hold of yourself, Hajime._

A couple of hours passed filled with Kazuichi staring blankly at Sonia during lunch (it was really obvious), Fuyuhiko ranting about the new trend that just so happened to plague Peko’s sense of style, and Chiaki gaming away on her new device that Hajime had never seen, nor heard of. Finally, just finally, when school was over, Hajime just wanted to go home and wallow in his own embarrassment. After that horrendous encounter with Nagito, that was all that was on his mind.

He was sitting on his chair, swiveling around because he couldn’t focus on this math problem to save his life. After some tinkering with his phone (partially stalking Nagito’s social media), Hajime decided to get some other homework out of his bag until a hard thump landed near his feet. At first, he thought he’d dropped his phone and that mini panic attack raced through his veins as he bent over, knocking all of his papers out of his backpack and onto the floor. A groan from Hajime’s chest echoed around the room before he pushed the bag off of his lap and dug through the papers.

It was like a treasure hunt, except he was looking for a dead body. That dead body being his _possibly_ cracked phone case lying lifelessly on his bedroom floor. Instead, he found a small black box staring right back at him from underneath his science homework. Red engravings carved across the top in intricate designs, mesmerizing the boy while also flaring him up with newfound curiosity. For a second, his phone didn’t even matter to him.

Cupping the box into his hands, Hajime lifted it up to analyze the bottom, the sides, then the top again before his fingers snapped open the lid and–

He almost fell out of his chair. Almost. Because some enormous ball of red light erupted from the box making him drop the object once again with a _clunk._ Once he opened his eyes, a flying ladybug-thing appeared out of thin air and somebody must’ve spiked his drink because this was not happening. This was definitely not happening, what the hell?

Hajime’s hands gripped the armrests on his chair. He had no idea his eyes could go this wide, but there was a flying ladybug-thing in front of him and he was still trying to process that at the moment!

“Hi! I’m Vyxaam! Nice to meet you, what a surprise!” 

_It talks._ “Y-you talk?!”

“Yeah, I do! I can do all sorts of things like sing, fly, shoot lasers out of my eyes,” it grinned before singing an ear screeching, “Find the lie!”

“What the hell were you doing in that box–w-what the hell are you?! How did you end up in my bag?” Hajime’s legs pushed the ground beneath him to roll his chair away from the anomaly, its wheels spinning across the floor quicker than the boy expected it to.

“Now, I know you might be a bit scared, but there’s really no need to worry!” The talking, flying, ladybug-thing did a few flips in the air before approaching the boy. “I won’t hurt you, in fact, I’m here to do the complete opposite, Hajime!”

“How do you know my na… _Ugh,_ that’s beside the point. Why were you _in my bag._ ”

“You’ve been chosen! A one in a bazillion-trillion-quadrillion chance! Isn’t that crazy! I’m even wowed at that number–”

“–Okay, first of all, that’s basically impossible. Second of all, that doesn’t clear up anything!” He’s glad his parents were at work because their house had some pretty thin walls.

“Hmm… Look at the box that fell,” the thing said before it flew (floated?) down towards the floor. It pointed its nubby red arms at the object and Hajime had to squint before seeing it underneath his desk. Slowly, very slowly, he scooted over on his chair and reached down to pick it back up. Inside of it was a small circular pin with black polka dots layered over a red and shiny surface. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looked back up at the ladybug.

“... Is this a pin?” Hajime hesitantly asked.

“It is! Try putting it on.”

* * *

People watching was a well-known hobby for Nagito. His wall was a huge window overseeing a few buildings of Paris as well as the passersby that walked frequently below him. From the families walking down the street to the delinquents sneaking down alleyways, he saw it all like a god overseeing their creations. Sometimes he would even assign a story to them. They’d always end up causing a war while the person walking right next to them overthrows their anarchy with the passions of hope! He’d spiral into his own fantasies creating corporations and corrupt leaders, but halfway through, he’d notice the empty page of homework staring back at him.

He liked storytelling.

It was about time to take a break, so Nagito pushed his chair back and stood up, stretched his limbs and heard a few pops here and there. The boy yawned and glanced up at the orange sky through teary eyes. His hands wiped them away before digging around in his pocket for his phone. 

When he pulled out some type of box it was a bit of a shocker, to say the least. Slender fingers shifted it around as the sleek design seemed to easily slide between them. It was… Odd. There were no fingerprints, no trails of hair or anything like that. How did it manage to end up in his pocket? With a closer look, Nagito pushed the top up with a click and the lid opened to give off a ball of green light. It was bright, too bright. It forced him to close his eyes only for a second before he could open them back up again.

And right in front of him was a cute black creature with cat ears and a tail.

“Wow…” Nagito muttered to himself. His eyes couldn’t trail off of the cat because it was already shifting around in place. Maybe in nervousness? “What are you…?

“I’m a Kwami,” its black arms seemed to express most of its speech through its plentiful gestures. “I’m here to give you the power of destruction, but–just, don’t use it for bad! There are certain things you must learn about this power before you can use it. Please don’t tell _anyone_ about this!”

Nagito only stared at the Kwami before him in awestruck, his interest grew bigger and bigger. “Do you have a name?”

“Oh, yes! My name is Padeff, your Kwami. Ah, but I already said the Kwami part,” it pouted, sharp teeth more visible than before. Nagito looked down at the box in his hands and saw the ring planted snuggly between the jewelry holder.

“Is this magic?”

“Magic? How’d you know?!” The Kwami’s neon green eyes stared at him with surprise.

“Just a lucky guess… So magic is real? The next thing you might tell me is that we’re living in a simulation,” Nagito chuckled in astonishment as he saw Padeff squirm in his spot. Rolling his shoulders back, he gave a small sigh.

“You’re taking this really well, Nagito! W-well, I might as well go on with the details–”

“Do I get the powers when I put this on?” He slipped the ring out and held it between his fingers, analyzing its paw print design on the top. “You said something about destruction, right?”

Nagito’s heart beat faster with more and more excitement. Opportunity stared at him with cartoonishly large eyes as it stared back with anticipation and unease. “Uh… Well, I give you the power to destroy things, it’s called ‘cataclysm.’ And you’re going to have to fight villains along with your partner. He’s supposed to be a ladybug.”

“A ladybug as a guy? That seems rather unusual. One would think my partner would be a girl… My luck perhaps!”

“Y-your luck?”

Nagito had already slid the ring on his finger and felt his body move like a marionette puppet. His body felt an overwhelming sensation of both warmth and cool at the same time before being replaced with a snug texture that hugged his body. Fingers felt leathery objects wrap around them while his eyes began to see a black outline of a mask frame his face. The best part? His body felt twenty times _stronger._ Nagito felt power surge through his veins as it went up and down throughout his limbs. 

After a moment to gather his senses, he was able to get a hold of his body. Shuffling around in these new clothes, the boy lifted his hand to see razor-sharp claws connected to the black gloves. He twiddled his fingers around, hearing the metal cling off of one another. _Maybe it’s a wise idea not to touch my face with these._

Moving around, Nagito saw his white hair bounce around two cat ears situated on the top of his head because of the mirror glaring straight at him. It was definitely… A sight to see. Especially since _he_ was the sight. “Hey, Padeff,” Nagito said. His smile, as fake as it could be, wavered in his mirror’s reflection. “Why is this costume skin tight?”

There was no answer. In fact, the room was back to being a silent and depressing atmosphere yet again. “Padeff?” Nagito turned around only to find a large bed, a television, a high ceiling, and other unnecessary items he couldn’t care less about. The boy stared at his ring, a light bulb practically going off inside of his head. 

_So Padeff is my power? This truly is amazing._

* * *

This wasn’t exactly how he thought his life would go, but it was a start. His red and black yo-yo swung from his fingertips, bouncing up and down above the pavement. The wind against his face breezed through his brown hair, ruffling it around his head. Hajime never thought he’d find himself sitting on a metallic ledge this high up, let alone a ledge that belonged to the Eiffel Tower. How he got there was an experience he never once expected to live through either. Weaving through buildings, stop lights, trees, signs - the blurred faces of surprise and concern merging together in the crowds of people. Once the boy took a step outside of his bedroom window, his whole world seemed to be changing before his eyes.

“You must be my partner. The ladybug,” a voice from behind him said. Turning around, Hajime saw a boy around his height, white hair, black suit, a mask similar to his own. He got up from the ledge and stood up to face the other. “I was thinking we could change the name a bit. You are a boy, after all.”

“Er, yeah. That would probably make things a lot less confusing than it already is,” Hajime smiled before lending out his hand. The other boy grabbed it and gave him a firm handshake. It was really odd to greet one another in this type of situation. Was it supposed to be formal? Casual? They’ll be fighting ‘villains’ in the future with each other so how were they supposed to act?

“Mister Bug has a nice ring to it,” the boy let go of Hajime’s hand and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“How long did it take you to figure that out?”

“On my way here, I’ve been thinking about it,” the white-haired boy smiled at him, although there wasn’t anything happy, nor sad behind it. It was empty. “Isn’t it weird? Having a ladybug as a boy, it’s ironic.”

“I guess so. But what do you go by, anyway?”

“Hmm…” The boy pondered, his finger touching his chin in thought. “Maybe Cat-Man? I haven’t had time to think about it as you can already see.”

“Uh… No, not Cat-Man. You should go with another name… Chat Noir probably?” Hajime looked up to be greeted with a bright smile plastered onto the other’s lips. He looked genuinely happy by his recommendation and that only made Hajime feel more welcome. They should try to become good friends if they were to fight together. _Enough already with the formal introductions!_

“Since you said it, I have no other choice. Thanks, Mister Bug,” Chat Noir waved his hand in gratitude, his grin still present on his face. “Now I think it’s time to get to know each other."

“We can’t talk about our personal lives, didn’t your Kwami already tell you?”

“Ah, I must’ve rushed ahead out of excitement. My bad!” Chat Noir rubbed the back of his neck. Hajime felt a twinge of guilt overcome him. He had a bad habit of being blunt sometimes. “That doesn’t mean we can’t talk about other things, right? Like, what’s your favorite color?”

Hajime almost chuckled at the boring ice breaker he threw at him. Tossing around the yo-yo between his hands, he looked up and inside the skeleton of the Eiffel Tower above him. The metal beams of architecture almost entranced him if it weren’t for the lingering question he had to answer. “I’d have to say either orange or blue. Maybe green? A mixture of those.”

“A mixture of those. Can’t decide, Mister Bug?”

“Yeah, sure,” Hajime agreed. “How about you?”

Without hesitation, Chat Noir smiled and shook his head. “I don’t have one.”

“You don’t have one?”

“Nope. Colors are boring. You see them every day and you start to get sick of them.” Hajime’s brows furrowed slightly, curiosity grazing its fingers against his skin. He decided to turn back around and sit on the ledge once more, his foot resting on his knee as the other hung down. After a few seconds of silence, Hajime turned his head to see Chat Noir standing behind him, green eyes looking around the Tower like there was something hidden underneath. He seemed unsure.

“You can sit next to me, y’know. Don’t be a stranger.”

Chat Noir hesitated for only an instant before that empty smile came back onto his face. “If you say so, but I don’t really see why you’d…” The other trailed off, his footsteps stopping in their place until they finally proceeded towards the ledge. He sat down next to Hajime as his hair bounced along with him, flailing in the wind like wisps of clouds. 

“… You don’t see why I’d… What?”

“Hm?” Chat Noir hummed. “Oh, it’s nothing, don’t mind me.”

“Um, alright.” 

Hajime gazed at the dozens of people wandering the streets of a sunsetting Paris. Purses and bags in hand along with the varieties of colors strewn across different shirts and jackets. He thought back to what Chat Noir said, about color being sickening. What brought him to that opinion? Hajime started to believe the boy behind that black mask was just… Sad. Maybe he didn’t come from the best place? Maybe he didn’t want to end up in this situation, to begin with. 

It only made his mind think harder as it provided him with more and more conclusions. Chat Noir did seem a bit cautious whenever he talked with him. He was probably trying to keep his distance. Or something like that, at least.

“Don’t you worry that these Kwamis chose the wrong people, Mister Bug?” Chat Noir broke the silence Hajime was unaware of in the first place.

“Huh? Uh, not really, I mean. They are magical beings, aren’t they? Plus… I’ve been wanting to feel special for a long time,” he stared at his fingers as they unraveled the thin rope from his yo-yo. He heard the rope extract from the insides with a mechanical whirl before letting it zip back up again. “What’s up, though? Are you anxious?”

“There’s no doubt anyone would be anxious when given this opportunity. However, I…” His small pause caused Hajime to look back at him. “I don’t think I see this opportunity the same way as you do. You see before I had to bite my tongue, but now I have the gift of anonymity.”

“What are you saying?”

“Now I can speak freely,” Chat Noir’s smile seemed to gain emotion, completely different than the empty ones he forced upon himself. It was like he was now beginning to open up. A part of Hajime was glad since he could feel how sad he was from the start, yet, a part of him held apprehension. Both of them didn’t know each other, so who knew what would come next? Hell, for all he knew, the Kwamis could be evil.

In the end, Hajime smiled with him. “That’s great. I hope you can get a sense of freedom from whatever this whole thing is. God knows we might need it.”

“Say, Mister Bug, since we’ll be fighting alongside each other, don’t you think it’d be better if we got to know each other _better?_ We don’t have to say too much about our lives, but we could hint at certain things.”

“Like what? It’s kind of hard to think of anything at the top of my head.”

“Maybe we could show our true colors? Open up a bit more.” Chat Noir gestured with his hands. “I haven’t been able to voice my thoughts for so long, and now I have the chance to do it. This new identity of mine seems so _liberating.”_

Hajime noticed the new lilt to the other’s voice, a happier tone finally coming to light. Maybe he should try to open up more, try to get more comfortable with Chat Noir. They’ll be doing this for a long while so it’s better to get warmed up as soon as possible, right? “Yeah, alright. I mean, if we’re really going deep here, I guess I could talk about… Gossip?”

Hajime could see Chat Noir raise his eyebrow, even if it was concealed by his black mask. “Gossip? How boring can you be? There are so many other topics to discuss, like secrets! Something you would never tell a soul. This way, it’d be impossible to track down our real identities!”

“Secrets,” Hajime murmured.

“Secrets!” Chat Noir replied.

He shifted in his spot and glared at his red and black polka-dotted suit. He inhaled a whiff of the blowing air, exhaling it after a few seconds passed. For some reason, out of all the weird and otherworldly things that had happened to Hajime today, this moment seemed like the craziest. “I’m not sure this will help bring us together. Like, at all. I think it’ll just make things awkward.”

“Then I might as well go first, then. We don’t even exist to each other out of this identity, so no one but you and I will know this, right?” Chat Noir didn’t leave any time for Hajime to answer that question, but to him, it seemed as if the boy was trying to convince himself that this was a good idea. That thought didn’t exactly resonate well with him.

“I’m dying in 8 years.”

Now, in no way was he expecting _that._ Those words took a while to process inside of his head. And once they did, Hajime’s hands instinctively clenched into fists. Eyebrows lifted and eyes widened in pure shock, slowly filtering out into gut-wrenching pity. To just meet someone, let alone to meet them anonymously, and to hear of their crushing future is something that just hits you once it sinks underneath your skin and deep within your bones. Hajime felt like he couldn’t move after those words floated between the gusts of wind and into his ears, but despite that, Chat Noir went on like it was nothing.

“So I really couldn’t care less about this,” he let out a chuckle eerily mixed with pain and exhaustion. “However, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it. It’s just that human life, to me, has become such a meaningless thing that it’s hard to really care.”

 _Is this guy a psychopath?_ Hajime was at a loss for words, as expected when hearing something as bizarre as this. Just thinking about death seemed like something so foreign, so far away from what his normal life was like. But Chat Noir had to deal with that thought, possibly on the daily because of his situation. “I’m so sorry. That must be… Must be terrible.”

“Don’t be sorry for such filth like me. It’s your turn to tell a secret,” his smile, still glued to his face, held the same emptiness like before. Hajime began to feel anxious.

“Well, I, um…” He placed his fist beneath his chin and leaned his elbow upon his thigh. “This is super weird, I don’t know why we’re doing this, but. If I’m being honest, I guess a few people in my family are pretty… Unsupportive of who I am.”

“Who you are?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know it’s not as big as your secret, but it’s the greatest one I have so far. I mean, if you really wanted something funnier, I could’ve said I–” Hajime cut himself off after a realization soon hit him. He flailed his hand dismissively, “nevermind. That’s not as secretive as the other one.”

“Aw, but now I’m curious,” Chat Noir said.

There was a moment of silence when Hajime didn’t say anything. His eyes were trained on the moving crowds beneath their feet, separated by the breeze tossing and turning throughout the Eiffel Tower’s beams. Then that’s when he blurted out the first thought that came to mind. “How are you so comfortable talking about your death?”

To his surprise, Chat Noir didn’t seem to shrink away from the question. He seemed to embrace Hajime’s interest with answers of his own. “I can’t see why you’d waste your time thinking about me and my ramblings, Mister Bug. But once death is all you know, it becomes who you are.”

_Strangely edgy. Not exactly what I’d expect in a chosen superhero…_

“And when that’s all you can think about, morals and sympathies start to corrode into blurred lines of gray!” He laughed. He _laughed,_ and laughed, and laughed, on and on. It was Hajime’s turn to scoot a few inches away from the boy. Chat Noir’s hands squeezed his stomach concerningly to the point where he looked like he would fall off the ledge at any given moment. Once the creepy cackles dialed down into spurts of giggles, Hajime could already feel the atmosphere change.

“I haven’t laughed like that in _years._ This identity truly is amazing!” Chat Noir snickered. He was talking to no one in particular. “It’s like I’ve finally been cut from the shackles after so long. It’s like I can talk to someone, like there isn’t a muzzle against my mouth anymore!” 

Hajime stared in awe. It wasn’t the type of awe one would typically show once they’ve experienced something awesome, this was more like a thoroughly creeped out awe that one would show whenever something was just plain weird… And whenever something interested them for an odd reason. Chat Noir was chosen to be a hero by his Kwami, and by that logic, he can assume that they had good intentions behind it. Although, he’s _pretty_ sure they made a mistake down those lines. How could a cackling psychopath possibly be a hero of Paris? Chat Noir would probably make a kid cry by just being himself!

“This just seems too good to be true! I wouldn’t be surprised if two people I knew had died by now!” The boy began to pick up his maniacal laughter once more which only drove Hajime deeper into confusion.

“… _What?”_

“A-ah, hehe, sorry for dumping so much on you, Mister Bug,” Chat Noir regained his composure, sighing out a couple of chuckles before twisting his lips into a smile, cheeks tinted with blush. “I couldn’t expect you to understand where I’m coming from. Especially when I come from complete trash.”

Hajime twisted the yo-yo’s string around his fingers in a fit of nervousness. There was no point in correcting his self-deprecating comments because he was sure Chat Noir would only deny them. His mouth parted to speak, but he closed it as thoughts began to shoot at him faster and faster than before. “No, no, what do you mean by two people dying?”

Chat Noir’s eyes seemed to widen in surprise. It seemed like he forgot to keep that part a secret. “Oh, I’m just rambling. It seems my luck has been acting up again.”

“Your luck? What are you talking about?” Hajime turned his head to face him, pure bewilderment written on his face. “You’re not making any sense here.”

The boy took a breath of air through his nose and out through his mouth. There was no trace of a real or fake smile on his lips, he just seemed to stay in the moment, contemplating the next thing to say. Chat Noir lifted one of his legs up and rested his arm on his knee. His palm cradled his chin as he began to speak. “I have the luck of legends,” a smile formed. “Everything that comes up must come down, and so does my luck, you see, every great thing that happens to me _always_ leads to something bad. Every bad thing that happens to me always leads to something good.”

“Luck isn’t real, you’re probably just being paranoid,” Hajime countered. He stared at Chat Noir with incredibility and even a bit of annoyance. It was obvious the other boy needed to get things off his chest, anything at all. His life was probably filled with his family shutting him up or filled with complete isolation the more Hajime thought about it. But a question still lingered inside his mind. How did he get so crazy?

“I’d expect an answer like that. I always do,” Chat Noir smiled. “But after hanging out with me? Hanging out with me for a long time will make you believe this.”

A dismal glint inside his green eyes caught Hajime’s attention. It was as if this wasn’t the first time something bad had happened to him, something related to ‘luck.’ And he wasn’t sure if he should be worried after hearing such a pessimistic speech. Hajime quickly thought up of something before the silence could take over. “How do you know you have… ‘luck?’”

“Well, I suppose you wouldn’t know this because of how under wraps it was treated,” Chat Noir started. “But after getting kidnapped, I found a lottery ticket in the trash bag. And guess what? It was a winning lottery ticket! It was my good luck coming back to repay the favor of unluckiness!”

“Alright, now you’re just shitting me.”

“I suppose it’s hard to believe somebody anonymous, but I have nothing to hide,” he paused. “Besides my true life, of course.”

“Well?” Hajime asked. How much did you win?”

“I think I might’ve spoken too much, Mister Bug! How about you try talking. I’ve been doing all the work so far,” Chat Noir said. He left time for himself to think about a topic, a secret, something interesting that wouldn’t out his true identity. Not that there was anything to actually _out_ himself with, he was a nobody, in the end.

“A secret I wouldn’t tell another soul, huh,” Hajime pondered. A few moments went by before he finally got an answer, a shiver crawling down his spine. “I accidentally locked my dog outside one time and he… Froze to death. I-I blamed the neighbors for ‘blocking’ the path back into our house and they had to pay the insurance. With their money.”

He still felt guilty, extremely guilty, for what happened all those years ago. Sharing his deepest secrets didn’t soothe this ‘stranger’ vibe they had going on. Yet, when he turned over towards Chat Noir, he saw his hand covering his mouth, shoulders quivering up and down as his eyebrows arched upwards. His muffled voice made out a “t-that’s horri–horrible!”

Hajime wasn’t sure if he was laughing or crying. Something told him that he really didn’t want to know which one it was. “Yeah, it was really bad,” he nervously chuckled. “I know it’s not as interesting as your story, but I guess I’m not that much of an interesting person in general.”

Chat Noir recovered from the shock and unveiled his mouth. _Of course, he was smiling,_ Hajime thought. At least he looked away, maybe out of shame or pity. “I’m thankful I get to share secrets with you, Mister Bug. It’s been lonely without someone to really _talk_ to. It brings me hope!”

“Hope,” Hajime muttered. “I can use some of that.”

The other giggled unnaturally. He seemed attracted to one word. The one word that made him _tick._

“It does bring me hope! And I look forward to fighting alongside you, Mister Bug, fighting villains and criminals and anything that gets in your way. After all, hope can overcome any despair, no matter _what happens!_ Since you’re the chosen one, I’m certain you can defeat any form of it!” A strange look in his eyes began to swirl round and round. The grotesque passion in Chat Noir’s voice wavered with ferocity, intensity, so much so that he couldn’t conceal his large grin. This side of him was completely unexpected for Hajime, it was unsettling, eerie, it was _so hard_ to look away. “To be given an opportunity to see despair thrive throughout the city until disappearing before your touch of hope is such a blessing! I’m happy to be alive at a time with you in it!”

Hajime stared at him. He stared at him in shock, horror, turmoil, in all of these emotions stirring together. His stomach dropped after reality set in. This boy is crazy. Batshit crazy. And he’ll have to work alongside him for years to come. 

“Y-you barely know me… How can you be so sure that I can even win?”

“I’m sure because you’ve been given a Kwami. You’re the chosen one! A beacon of hope!”

“Chat Noir just shut the hell up!” He interrupted. The boy’s mouth closed automatically, right on cue and it seemed to worry Hajime a bit. After this point on, he wasn’t sure what to say. What _was_ there to say? “You’ve been chosen too, so the least you can do is give yourself props as well.”

“I’m undeserving of props. I’m an insolent despicable curse placed upon this world that can’t do anything right, can’t you see?” Chat Noir’s hands gestured beside him. They shook in mid-air every time he laughed. “Unfortunately for the both of us, my luck will probably just get in the way. Maybe I’ll die in a fight, fueling the fire of hope inside of you, motivating you to become an even stronger hero.”

There was no coming back from this, at all. Perhaps, in order to convince Chat Noir, it seemed like you had to think like him. Hajime thought about his reply until a thought had finally come into mind. “Maybe the Kwami chose you because they wanted _you_ to overcome that despair.”

“Oh, Mister Bug, you’re so kind! Too good for someone as disgusting as me,” Chat Noir stared at him with bright swirling green eyes, glossy sun rays painting them into a deep emerald hue. His white hair bounced as a chuckle escaped his throat, “I can only help hope evolve. I’m your stepping stool, so don’t let my hero identity fool you. There’s no way I can rid of this despair deep within me as much as I tried.”

“Chat Noir, you really don’t get what I’m trying to say,” Hajime sighed. “I’m not– _ugh._ I’m not gonna use you just to. Just for what? Hope? We’re supposed to be heroes or something, so how about you try and… _embody…_ Hope? This is what they chose us for, anyway. To save people, not to step on each other.”

There was a silence, dare he say an awkward silence. Knowing the guy, Hajime might’ve thought Chat Noir didn’t think this pause was as uncomfortable. Then a sudden laugh erupted from the other, breaking the silence into another range of awkwardness. “Haha! Mister Bug, if only you could understand my worthlessness then maybe you’d see my point of view! For now, we might as well agree to disagree? After all, my luck would only turn sour if such a nice person like you ever did anything good for me. This new hero persona puts me in enough fear as it is.”

The silence went on again, absolutely uncomfortable.

“What’s… Your uh… Special power?” Hajime asked. The response was almost immediate.

“It’s called cataclysm–”

A flash of black and green exploded from his right hand, lighting up his face despite the sun doing most of the illuminating. Their eyes traveled to Chat Noir’s hand while it seemed to stare back at them with an intimidating power.

“Apparently I destroy whatever I touch!” Chat Noir cooed. “I wonder what would happen if I touched myself?”

“Are you an idiot- wait, what?” Blush form on his cheeks in an instant as soon as that strange wording caught up to him.

“I said: Apparently I destroy–”

“No, no, I heard you the first time, forget about it,” Hajime groaned. “Do you know how to make it go away?”

Chat Noir hesitantly shook his head, “Not if I touch it. Or touch something with it. Maybe it takes time to ease up? It’s kind of cramping up though…”

“Is it supposed to do that?” Hajime already began to stand up.

“Erm. Yes, I believe so. It _is_ used for destruction,” Chat Noir seemed to wave his fingers around, watching the black bubbles dissolve into thin air as they rose like smoke.

“Aren’t you gonna do anything about it? This is literally a weapon made for destroying things,” he said. “And we just so happen to be _hundreds_ of feet high. Y’know, on the Eiffel Tower?”

“You do have a point, Mister Bug. We should get off.”

“We _should_ get off.”

Hajime waited for him to move, to at least get up on his feet. Yet, a few seconds went by without as much as a single nudge.

“Just a little longer. I wanna feel it just a bit more–”

“Alright, alright, no. I’m not dealing with this–c’mon,” he approached Chat Noir and saw him gazing at his hand like it was from another universe. Which, the more he thought about it, it kinda was. “Get up.”

“Okay,” the boy carefully balanced got up on his two feet while keeping his hand at bay. “I’m up.”


	2. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> idk if its confusing since the story is set in paris, but you can imagine the school as either the one in miraculous lady bug or as danganronpa's hope's peak. idc you can imagine it however you'd like lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i've decided to add onto this because of @reference_jojo_a_that_is :D
> 
> they made a gift work based on this fic and I couldn't resist but to make more content for this au, so here I am!!!
> 
> please please please read their fic https://archiveofourown.org/works/23810884/chapters/57208759 aka Your Number One Fan !!!! its super good and its more content for this au and its lovely I love it

A few days had passed since Mister Bug’s and his encounter. Nagito couldn’t get it out of his mind since then.

They hadn’t met up to save people and to defeat villains because… Well, there were no villains _to_ fight. Meaning Nagito had to become Chat Noir to save other people around Paris. Helping old ladies cross the street and breaking drunken fights inside alleyways was usual when running around. In fact, Nagito had only found one or two serious crimes involving knives and such, so the ‘fighting villains’ portion seemed to exaggerate their actual enemies. Maybe he wasn’t looking in the right places? He did live in a rich neighborhood after all…

School life had become very different compared to before. Of course, he still did his school work and attended his classes, yet, occasionally he would become Chat Noir during the long lunch hours and search the city. It was like a drug, Nagito figured. He forgot what he usually did before his powers, and without transforming once a day, the color would usually become a monochromatic slate inside his mind. This was _so much better_ than his life before. 

Instead of harboring his feelings of isolation and disdain, Nagito would take it out on his enemies. Sometimes he would rile them up a bit too much to the point where he’d cringe, however, they did deserve it. And, yes, he did become Chat Noir during the night. It’s not like he had gotten any sleep from before. Perhaps his secret identity was taking over too much of his life, but it was a taste of freedom that he hadn’t had for years, maybe even his whole life?

“Fuyuhiko! There you are,” Nagito approached the boy sitting in his seat, scrolling through his phone sluggishly.

“Of course I am, where else would I be?” He replied, eyes escaping his screen and staring at the other. “Class is about to start, y’know. If you’re late again Ms. Yukizome is gonna be pissed.”

Nagito placed his belongings on the ground and sat beside the blond. Fuyuhiko placed his phone in his pocket and turned towards him, a look of boredom on his face. He knew the boy would complain right… about…

“Some bitch decided to freak out at my work yesterday. I made her drink without sugar. _Like she asked,_ but she decided to flip out on me and stomp outta the fuckin’ store like a brat.” Fuyuhiko wildly gestured with his hands, an angry scowl placed on his face like his usual self. Sometimes Nagito wondered if he should see a therapist for possible anger issues. “God, I hate self-absorbed dumbasses. The manager didn’t do jack shit either, just kept on her merry way.”

“Did you tell her about it after work?” Nagito asked. 

“Hell no, it’s not like this hasn’t happened before, she always does nothing. Probably not paid enough,” Fuyuhiko clicked his tongue and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked like an enraged puppy, but Nagito didn’t say that.

“I hate those kinds of people,” he decided to say. “They act like they own the world.”

“Damn right they do! Bet this bitch stole the kids in her 50 somethin’ years!”

They both chuckled, Ibuki joining in after she came through the door and overheard their conversation. Her wild hair swayed around as her high pitched laugh melted in with theirs. “Ibuki can make a song about this! Maybe like: Please come back I miss the kids!”

“Yeah! Yeah, you do that,” Fuyuhiko grinned as the laughter started to die down. Soon enough, the bell rang and everyone went to their seats as the day began. 

Nagito wasn’t so fond of the school system, how the lectures went on and on for the entire day while they could just learn it from the textbooks. However, he supposed it was for the kids’ greater good, likewise a way to watch over their idiotic behavior. His class had a lot of idiotic behavior. The boy opened his books and wrote down the details on the chalkboard, and despite being in homeroom, Chisa’s lectures had a lot of necessary information for their education. But Nagito got bored. Fast.

He turned his head towards the windows and caught the glimpse of the rising sun amidst the orange illuminated city. Below fumbled cars and civilians traversing along the roads and hovering buildings. Nagito wondered how much crime occurred inside the hidden backstreets of Paris, how many people were hurt inside those buildings in secret. How many people were hurt at the very top of those luxurious skyscrapers? What exactly did Padeff mean when he said ‘villains?’

And that’s when he saw it. That’s what Padeff meant.

On the other side of the city was a towering robot, as tall as the structures around it, grazing its paws across the ground. Half white and half black, it seemed to look like a bear with an eerie smile and sharp elongated claws. Nagito’s stomach twisted. This was definitely a villain. And he should definitely transform into Chat Noir.

Without even raising his hand, Nagito interrupted Chisa’s lecture. “I have to use the restroom!” He said.

“We only have a few more minutes of class, Nagito, I’m sure you can hold it,” she smiled. “Next time, raise your hand–”

“I really, _really,_ need to use the restroom.”

Chisa froze, her eyes widening at his urgency. “Well, if it’s that bad I supposed you can!”

“Thank you,” Nagito said before getting out of his seat and exiting the classroom a bit too quickly. Some of his classmates giggled in their seats until Chisa’s voice continued on with her lecture. It was only eight in the morning, and truth be told he didn’t want to fight crime at this hour, let alone a rampaging _200-foot bear._

Arriving at the bathroom, Nagito entered a stall and pulled open his coat. Padeff immediately flew out and his green eyes stared at the boy with nervousness. “W-what’s wrong?” The Kwami stammered.

“I saw a big giant robot bear in the city,” Nagito informed. He never expected to say that sentence in his life and truly mean it. “That’s what you meant by a villain, correct?”

Padeff nodded his head. “You should transform! Hawkmoth is most likely behind this!” 

“Hawkmoth?”

“There’s no time to explain, you can ask Mister Bug after defeating it!” Padeff advised. “I-I’m sorry for not telling you before–”

“Claws out!”

Running across building after building would always thrill Nagito. The wind in his face and the ground so far away, yet the sake of his safety remote from harm’s reach. Once he pushed the staff’s button and flew into the air, he would always see the beautiful scenery of city life before him. Nagito saw the same view as he barreled across the orange sky and onto the ground. He could see the bear’s head peak above a building, its eyes glaringly red. If Mister Bug was here, that would mean he saw it from wherever he was. Nagito just hoped he would get here soon.

Hoisting himself above a few more buildings, the boy finally laid his eyes on the full robot before him. It was massive, its shadow long and haunting. Creaking and whirring resounded from inside its metallic frame, echoing among the city’s streets and filling Nagito’s ears with anxiety.

But the way he himself jumped and stopped it from smashing its paws into the ground caught him by surprise. It was usually stopping a kid from running into the road, interfering with an occasional burglar, not fighting a giant robot! How did he manage to kick this huge paw away?

_Oh yeah. Magic._

Landing back on his feet, a voice yelled for him from behind. Nagito turned around and saw the familiar red and black suit wrapped around Mister Bug’s form. The hero’s eyes held just as much shock as his own.

“What the hell is this?!” Mister Bug yelled over the robot’s mechanical whirr. His yo-yo was in hand like he was ready to pounce whenever necessary.

“It’s a robot bear, Mister Bug.” Nagito looked back at its hauntingly large form, its eyes finding the two of them after a few seconds of searching. “How do we stop it?”

“We find the Akuma. It should be hidden inside an item, like a necklace or something, but,” Mister Bug stopped and quickly scanned the bear. “There’s nothing that stands out to me.”

The robot shuffled its long stubby legs in their direction, its body rocketing towards them. Nagito jumped into the air and expanded his staff. It fit between two buildings and held sturdy, ready to take on the bear’s attack. In the corner of his eye, he saw Mister Bug swing his yo-yo’s wire around its black-and-white form and pull it back. Nagito went next to him and wrapped the wire around his wrists, doing the same.

It hurt. It really hurt. He could feel the wire dig into his skin and rub against his latex suit, an all-out uncomfortable feeling that he will think about next time before even trying this again.

The robot’s speed slowed slightly, their reverberating stomps beginning to decline in quantity. The pull of the string lessened and lessened, yet it wasn’t enough. Until it was. The bear completely froze in its tracks and turned around to face the two. Then it pulled on _their_ string.

They both went flying into the air as the machine took a hold of the wire and swung it around. Nagito unraveled the wire from his wrists and landed on the decimated street. He ran towards his staff and took it from the buildings before approaching the robot once again.

It seemed Mister Bug wasn’t letting go of the yo-yo as he was still being flung in the air, his body hitting the bricks and pillars of structures all around him. That looked like it really hurt.

“Mister Bug, you have to let go!”

“I can’t! This yo-yo’s the only thing I got, idiot!” The hero yelled over the crumbling infrastructures. “If you forgot, I'm 200 feet in the _fucking air!”_

“It must be controlled in some way! The robot!” Nagito used his staff to get on the roof of a nearby building as he narrowly avoided a flailing robot arm. “Let go of the thing and try to climb on to the robot!”

Mister Bug’s face held a grimace as he seemed to process his words. His hands released the yo-yo and he began to fall, quickly finding a ledge on the robot to hang on to. Thankfully, the bear stopped squirming and stood still, at least compared to before. Nagito jumped from the building and onto the bear’s head, a metallic clunk echoing beneath his feet.

“If it’s hollow then there must be something inside of it!” Nagito yelled towards the other. He saw Mister Bug slowly arrive on the top of the bear’s head, his feet able to stick to its surface and it seemed like he was just now realizing from the nervous look on his face.

“Guess that yo-yo wasn’t the only thing you had, Mister Bug,” Nagito smirked.

“Shut up and help me get inside this robot!” Mister Bug strutted towards its ears cautiously and plucked a part of the wire off of it. Tugging on it slightly, the wire began to unwind immediately, catching both of them by surprise. The yo-yo untangled itself from the bear’s body and swung at Mister Bug with a striking amount of speed. The object fell into his hands as quickly as it came. There was no time to idle in amazement, however.

“I think the way in might be in its mouth,” the robot’s body shifted and moved from beneath their feet. “I saw an entrance–”

The bear’s arm came charging at its head, prepared to knock the two of them off. Both of them jumped and barely avoided its graze, yet its elbow skimmed another building and caused the walls to fall over. They had to act fast or more damage would be done. Nagito jumped down and used his staff to expand into its mouth. Once it was sturdy, he shrunk it down and gripped the teeth, stepping inside the dark hole. Mister Bug followed shortly with the use of his yo-yo.

Nagito noticed how the darkness was illuminated with a green tint, compliments to his night vision. However, Mister Bug didn’t have the same case.

“I can’t see anything in here, how are we gonna find them like this?”

“I can carry you,” Nagito said. “Stand still.”

“W-wait wait, no I can do this myself!” The ending of his sentence rose in pitch as Nagito took him into his arms like a madame in distress. Ignoring Mister Bug’s complaints (or rather finding them quite entertaining), he began to follow the winding path deeper into the robot.

It was rather quiet compared to its exterior, there were no crashes or bangs, only a faint and – dare he say – relaxing hum. His footsteps echoed throughout its mechanical skeleton as he tried to find any sort of light source as a clue that they were getting closer. Maybe the controller turned them off to keep them from getting inside? And it was strange how the robot halted its movements, most likely stopped in place from the outside.

He reached a spiraling staircase and ran down the steps skipping a few at a time. Light began to shine further down the stairs and Nagito’s pace quickened, his night vision fading. Finally, he encountered a door and used his leg to kick it open.

With a _bang,_ the door knocked against the wall and unveiled a control system with colorful lights and screens watching over the robot’s exterior. Steam radiated out of vents and pipes wrapped around pillars, oozing puffs of humid air. Between all of the visual commotion sat a girl with green hair, her legs crossed over one another.

“Help me! Someone is keeping me trapped here! I wanna get out!” Her face scrunched up in a frightening… Tantrum? Her hands flailed around as she bawled with no stop in sight.

“Hey, Chat Noir, let me go,” Mister Bug grumbled. Nagito placed him on his feet and immediately straightened his back.

“Sorry about that, I should’ve let you go while we were on the stairs,” Nagito said. “It would’ve been the better thing to do than carrying you, I must’ve been so annoying–”

“Jeez, I forgot you were… This isn’t the time for brooding, Chat Noir, we have to help her.”

“Yes, I apologize.” Nagito turned his attention towards the girl, tears streaming down her face as her fists banged against the chair’s armrests. Mister Bug approached the girl and bent down on his knees, catching her attention. Frustration and worry rang in his eyes while the girl’s bottom lip quivered.

“Do you know where they are?” Mister Bug calmly asked. “If you let us know we can get you out of here.”

“I. Don’t. Know! They told me to stay! Here!” 

Nagito arrived near Mister Bug’s side and saw her legs beginning to kick around. The other hero scooted back a portion before he got to his feet and analyzed the room. “There are no exits around here…” He turned and stared and Chat Noir, brows furrowing as he pondered a dilemma inside his head.

“Is something wrong, Mister Bug?”

The hero walked towards the girl with a determined steely glare. His hand reached out to her clothes and unpinned the silvery jewel from her dress. Her green eyes widened in shock before she gripped onto his arm and took back the pin.

“Don’t touch me! You… You pervert!”

“P-pervert?!” Mister Bug sputtered, his hands retracting automatically. “I’m trying to help you!”

She swung the pin around, its sharp point reflecting the lights surrounding them. “Go to hell, fuckwad!”

“Fuckwad…” Nagito mused.

“Wha–We’re trying to _help you,_ can you at least–at least give me your pin.”

The girl shook her head violently before standing up from the chair with a flaring expression of anger. She pinned the jewel back to her dress and out of the blue, she smiled. Not an innocent childish smile, no, she gave one of utter uncanniness.

“You won’t take my pin, you won’t take _Lady Medusa’s pin!”_

Nagito stared in confusion at her sudden change of character. Her green puffy and organized hair now lifted and transformed into snakes. Her eyes turned sharp and deep red, a forked tongue licking at her lips. 

This was… This was not what he was expecting.

“Hand me your miraculouses or I’ll make this robot EXPLODE!” Her voice screeched and carved the walls with exasperation. The snakes lying upon her head grew minds of their own and started to move around, little by little.

“Chat Noir, once those snakes wake up we shouldn’t stare into her eyes, got it?” Mister Bug shakily informed.

Nagito slowly nodded before processing this information. How in the world did she just turn into that? Was this a result of an Akuma?

“Does that pin have something important we need?”

“Yeah, we need to break it,” Mister Bug turned to look at him, yet his body was still facing the girl. “In order to reverse everything and bring it back to normal.”

“Because magic,” Nagito added.

“Yeah… Magic.”

Nagito could feel the girl’s stare drill holes through his body. He couldn’t see any movement in the corner of his eyes besides the blinking lights and the waking snakes on her head. What could they do to get close to her without getting the backlash of the snakes?

“What do you have in mind, Mister Bug?”

It took a moment of hesitation before the other spoke. “She’s a kid. It’d be bad if we hurt her so that’s off the list… We need to distract her.”

Good thing Mister Bug was in charge. If not, things would be very _very_ different.

“I’m right here!” The girl screamed. “You’re digging your own grave if you think you can plan things in front of me! Just look at me! Look at me! Don’t make me force you!”

She began to inch closer to the two resulting in them backing away. Nagito stared at Mister Bug for any form of direction, yet his eyes were settled on the screens in front of him. Looking over, the televisions were blaring with light and shined deep into his eyes. How did one manage to look at this for a while?

An idea popped into his head and he knew what he had to do. Nagito turned his head towards the wall aside him and ran around the girl. Once he reached the systems he yelled–

“Cataclysm!”

The familiar bubbles of black engulfed his hand, uncomfortably tightening his muscles with a fantastic sensation. His fingers slammed down against the buttons and lights as he ran across the systems flooding the mechanics with destruction. The bright bulbs around the room flickered on and off until finally shutting down entirely leaving the three of them in the pitch black. The faint hum of gears and electricity seemed louder than before now.

“Agh! Stupid! Why did you do that!” The high-pitched voice fret. The snakes began to hiss in a disgusting cacophony as shoes clacked against the metal ground.

“Get her pin, Chat Noir!”

“On it!”

Nagito silently shuffled to the girl, her face bewildered as the snakes shared her same fate. He placed his fingers upon the pin and tried his best to quickly unfasten it, but the snakes seemed to know where he was as soon as he made contact. Their eyes lit up in the dark and darted towards him. They appeared to elongate by their own will, shifting longer and longer. 

“I can’t get the pin even if I wanted to! The snakes will just attack me!”

“Shit, alright, let me give it a try.”

“How will you do that when you can’t even–”

“Lucky charm!” Mister Bug shouted out of the blue… Or dark. He heard the hero curse after a few seconds of silence when an object flew into the air and into his hands. The girl blindly walked around the room as Mister Bug felt the item using his fingers. He lifted it up and revealed it to Nagito. “Chat Noir, tell me what this is.”

“That’s a hair tie…”

“A hair tie?!”

“I’m such a fool, Mister Bug, I shouldn’t have destroyed those cameras! If only I had listened to you and not acted on my own will then you could have deciphered the hair tie’s use in this situation!”

“I’m throwing it at you, Chat Noir, hold onto it and figure it out,” Mister Bug tossed the item into the air and Nagito caught it with ease. Regret laced his thoughts with self-deprecation, it was all his fault that he screwed this up for the both of them. Nonetheless, he got himself in this situation and now it was time to get himself out of it. Nagito scanned the room and saw the girl feeling the objects around her. She was close to a few vents and pipes near the walls, but if she was closer then maybe… Maybe he could use his environment.

Grabbing his staff, he angled it towards the girl and pressed the button to expand it. Slowly, it crept behind her and nudged her back, forcing her to lean forward. A startled yelp escaped her throat.

“Whatever you do, do _not_ hurt her!” Mister Bug instructed.

“I won’t hurt her, don’t worry,” he called.

It was like pushing a tiger into a cage, but in this case, Nagito was edging her closer to a pipe blowing out puffs of steam. If he managed to get her a little closer… 

Out of nowhere, the snakes on her head found the staff and pushed against it. Nagito kept his stance and he pushed back. Then her hands wrapped around it and pushed back with a growl. And then it became tug-of-war, involving shoving instead of pulling.

“What are you doing?” Mister Bug questioned.

“I’m almost done, I just need her to stop struggling–”

“Chat Noir, if I find out that you’re hurting her I’m gonna come over there and–”

“Ow! Ow! Don’t touch me there! P-please stop that hurts! You pervert!”

_“Chat Noir, what the fuck are you doing?!”_

_“Nothing!_ I’m just pushing her with my staff! She’s faking it!”

“You sound like you’re hurting her! Goddammit, where the hell are you?!” Mister Bug headed straight towards him, the more Nagito talked the more he would figure out his location so he had to do this fast before something would go wrong–

He pushed a bit too hard and the girl tumbled backward, hitting her back on a pipe laying across the ground with a _thunk!_ Nagito headed to the girl’s lying figure on the ground, her hands rubbing her back as she groaned in pain. It wasn’t the most well-executed plan, but the snakes on her head were struggling to focus and breathe as the smoke blew into their nostrils. Nagito had to hurry and use the hair tie before the girl caught wind of the smoke and couldn’t breathe as well. His hands wrapped around the squirming snakes, their attention unbreaking from the amounts of gunk in their lungs. The hair tie slid over the snakes and constrained them. Nagito grabbed ahold of the pin on the girl’s dress and took it off, destroying it in the process as a black butterfly emerged and flew around the room.

“Mister Bug, I broke the pin and there’s a butterfly. Is this supposed to happen…?” He saw its wings flap with ease, the facsimile of an average butterfly.

“Where’s the butterfly?”

“It’s in the middle of the room right now, by the ceiling.” Nagito saw the hero’s yo-yo swing towards the insect and capture it. He watched in awe as it then released it as a pure white butterfly. Everything from there changed. The robot they were in, its lights turned back on, the systems back to its original state. Blinding white blanketed his vision and then the three of them were back on a clean and intact road, the road before the Akuma, Nagito had figured. Everything surrounding them was left without a scrape, everything was back to normal. That surprised him the most.

He expected to see Mister Bug with a triumphant look on his face, however, he saw the complete opposite once he caught a glimpse of him standing beside him. He looked disgusted, angered even.

“What the hell did you do to her.” He demanded rather than questioned.

“I-I didn’t do anything, Mister Bug!” Nagito waved his hands in the air defensively, an attempt at a friendly smile on his lips. “She was faking it, I swear! I was using my staff to push her towards a pipe so the smoke could distract the snakes. Then I slipped the hair tie on.”

Mister Bug stared at him with an accusing scowl on his face. Nagito could only hope he believed him, the silence blundering him with a twist in his gut. After a few more seconds, though, the other’s shoulders relaxed into a more neutral stance once he seemed to think it over.

Nagito could only sigh in relief. “Mister Bug, I know we barely know each other, so I severely apologize for my behavior and presence. I’m just a burden, I hope you can understand.”

“You think you’re a burden after you released the Akuma?” The brunet queried, doubt written all over his face. “You can be annoying at times, but that doesn’t mean you’re useless, Chat Noir. Y’know, if you’re going to be a hero you should get those shitty thoughts out of your head.”

 _That doesn’t mean you’re useless…_ If that wasn’t the most bizarre and utterly deceitful thing he’s heard all day… 

The green-haired girl sat up and looked around in disorientation, seemingly lost and confused at the new sight in front of her. “Where am I?” She interrupted Nagito’s train of thoughts.

“You were just Akumatized,” Mister Bug said, “you’re safe now.”

“Akumatized? What’s that meant? Where’s my robot?”

Mister Bug choked as his eyes widened in disbelief. His glance shifted towards Nagito and then back to the girl “Are you saying that robot was–was yours?! It wasn’t a part of the Akuma’s possession?!”

“I. WANT. MY. ROBOT!”

Nagito approached the girl and watched her bawl her eyes out once again, quite grating against his ears if he does say so himself. He kind of found it entertaining, laughing at her despair. He just had to hide his smirk.

“W-what were you going to _do_ with that robot?” Mister Bug carefully asked. Nagito began to ponder that question as well. What was she doing with that robot in the first place anyway? Was she operating it since the beginning?

“You ugly stains of shit! Die! _Die!_ I want my robot!” She screamed. “I want my robot I want my robot _I want my robot!”_

Mister Bug appeared to be a deer in the headlights. It was definitely interesting news to hear, a girl controlling a 200-foot robot as she wreaked havoc on the city of Paris. Nagito could only imagine the innumerous amount of despair waiting to be cured with hope! With Mister Bug’s hope!

“Uh, _well._ _Well,_ would you look at that I’m going to transform soon, Ihavetogo!” Mister Bug blurted before turning on his heel and swinging away. Nagito watched him disappear behind a few buildings, the orange and pink hue from the sky highlighting his suit’s color. He looked a bit disturbed by the girl’s motives. He looked really disturbed.

If the girl was going to destroy the city… Would it really be bad if Nagito wanted to stay and see it happen just a bit more? Maybe he could’ve waited to transform once the whole class realized a couple of buildings were falling down and they went under lockdown?

But after Mister Bug gave him a light of his own hope, of the Lucky Charm, it was all worth it in the end. Nagito should be happy, but he was more than that. He was practically ecstatic! He hadn’t realized his hands shaking from the adrenaline, from the hope he was able to witness. This was magical, this was amazing, this was so _exciting._

_Mister Bug was exciting._

Maybe a bit too exciting.

He should quickly transform back, his time was running out.


	3. He’s so close I can see how pretty his eyes are.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> haha study date kinda not really

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some important things to consider is that Hajime is in the Ultimate class, I'll get into that later. He also wears the same uniform as them.
> 
> I noticed in the last chapter that I forgot some fundamentals after the Lucky Charm and capturing the Akuma. I did more research so I'm gonna add that from now on, sorryaaaa
> 
> Also, I wasn't sure if I should use Chisa went referring to Ms. Yukizome outside of dialogue. So if it nerves you make sure to tell me
> 
> And forget what I said about picturing the school as either the one in Miraculous of Danganronpa. This shit gonna be the Danganronpa Hopes Peak but with extra DLC content.

After his encounter with the girl, something just didn’t sit right with him. The fact that he had to defeat handfuls of these Akumas was definitely one of them. Probably the reason why he exited the scene so abruptly in the first place as well. Hell, his miraculous wasn’t even running out of time, either, it was just a cowardly thing for him to do. And once Hajime returned back to school, everything was chaotic from the students to the teachers. Screams, cries, and discourse were already circulating around the campus, but luckily it gave him a chance to sneak in without catching any unwanted attention.

Hajime climbed through the bathroom’s open window and fell to the mosaic tiles below. He almost slipped his foot inside the toilet bowl if not for the stalls surrounding him. “Spots off!” The boy shouted. Red light exploded for only a brief second before his school attire reappeared, the green tie, white button-up shirt, brown pants, and jacket feeling familiar. Hajime was about ready to run his hand through his disheveled hair until Vyxaam fell halfway through the air, the boy catching him just before he plopped down into the toilet. He sighed in relief.

“A-are you okay?” The Kwami sluggishly shifted in the palms of his hands. Right after transforming back, Vyxaam was usually in perfect shape, maybe a little tired, but he was never this exhausted.

“I-I’m okay, Hajime, just a little sleepy…” Vyxaam trailed. “When you use the lucky charm, it makes me very tired. It’s your first time using it so this is probably shocking to you, but I need something to become energized again… Like food.”

Food, he could get some food. He didn’t have any snacks on him at the moment, yet he could probably ask some of his friends if they had some in their backpack. “I can do that,” Hajime said as he opened his school jacket and gently slid Vyxaam into his hidden pocket. “Just sleep and I’ll handle the rest.”

A muffled ‘thank you’ came from beneath the jacket while Hajime let out a sigh. Pushing open the stall door, the boy stepped outside and saw his reflection in the mirror. Despite being Mister Bug a few seconds ago, his appearance was just as it was once he had come to school, not a wrinkle in his clothes.

Then he remembered looking into the mirror after transforming into Mister Bug earlier that day. Compared to now, he had two strands of hair sticking out of his head when he was a transformed instead of his usual single-strand of hair like he had currently. They were like… Antennas when he transformed. _I guess it fits since I’m supposed to be a ladybug. This is… Way too weird._

The stall doors next to him were all open meaning that he was alone inside of the bathroom. That was a relief. Hajime walked out of the bathroom and made his way down the school hallway. As he looked through the classroom doors, he never saw any signs of life whatsoever. It was practically deserted. _Creepy._ The boy was about to whisper something to Vyxaam before a familiar voice caught his attention. Turning around, he saw Chisa frantically jogging towards him from down the hall, orange hair waving behind her.

“Hajime! Where have you been?! I’ve been looking all over for you!” She said without a single pause. Her hands landed on his shoulders and squeezed for comfort. Green eyes analyzed his face in search of any forms of bruising even though the mayhem had occurred miles away. It was a bit uncomfortable to be stared at like this.

“I-I’m fine, Ms. Yukizome. Really,” he reassured. After the whole class noticed the bear, Chisa managed to stop the students from going into disarray. She got them to group up and head towards the cafeteria as the alarm went off, but Hajime snuck away in order to transform. “I hid in the bathroom after I was separated from a few people. I guess I was a bit distressed.” 

Her shoulders fell ever so slightly, however, she still didn’t seem satisfied. Hajime felt Chisa’s hands release him as she intertwined her fingers together, holding them near her chest as stability. In a way, the woman looked determined, surprisingly never faltering from the disorder around her.

“Do you know where Nagito is?” She asked.

“You can’t find him? Well, no, uh,” he tried to recall, yet nothing came up. “No, I didn’t see him in the bathroom. Or anywhere. But the robot was defeated by Mister Bug and Chat Noir I think, so I’m sure he must be safe.”

“Oh, I never saw! I was so focused on finding you two that I couldn’t notice.” She gave him her most heart-warming smile before scanning the hallway from behind him. Chisa tapped his shoulder in a way to get Hajime to follow her down the passageway, her heels clicking against the floor. “Maybe you can help me?”

“Yeah, alright.”

The two checked the remaining rooms looking for anybody separated from the rest of the school. Unfortunately, the closest thing they found to a person was the skeleton hung up in the science room. At this point, Hajime suspected Nagito was already found by his classmates or he was hiding on purpose for whatever reason that was because they could _not find him._

Until he just so happened to stroll down the hallways with his green jacket hanging around his slender frame, the one staff would always chide him against wearing instead of the school jacket. Hajime felt his lungs finally breathe properly ever since hearing about his disappearance. His heart thumped a bit too quickly, enough for his face to attract a slight rush of blush onto his cheeks.

Nagito waved at them from afar, his famous smile plastered on his lips. With his footsteps approaching near, Chisa noticed his presence and immediately shot towards the boy, open arms and all. “I’m so glad you’re safe, Nagito! You had Hajime and I worried about you!”

“Aww,” Nagito cooed as Chisa kept her embrace tight. “You were worried about me, Hajime?”

The brunet stilled for a moment, struggling to pull words out of his mouth while his brain was short-circuiting. “Why…” He dragged out the word as he tried pulling a proper sentence together. “Wouldn’t I worry about you? You’re… Cool.”

He cringed.

“Cool! That’s so thoughtful of you,” Nagito said. “And Ms. Yukizome, thank you for trying to keep the class organized through all of this.”

Chisa unraveled her arms from the embrace and stared at him in confusion. “How did you know?”

“I just know. You’re a great teacher, after all,” he replied. That smile Hajime couldn’t take his eyes off of seemed to shine brighter by the second. Forget the robot he fought and the girl who most likely tried to destroy the city and its people living inside of it, Nagito was the only thing that existed right now.

“On that note,” Chisa exclaimed with enthusiasm, “we should head back to class if everything is fine!”

Nagito tilted his head out of curiosity. “After everything that happened? A smiling black-and-white bear was just destroying the city a few minutes ago, Ms. Yukizome. I feel like we should be doing something different.”

“Life must go on! And so must your education!”

It was an odd transition from school, evil robot mecha-bear, then back to school again all in the same day, but something told Hajime that this would be a very common occurrence. A very tiring one at that. However, for the students in his class and all of the kids in general, their reactions seemed to be far more excited than what he was expecting. He thought there would be a bit of yelling, crying, licking (Ibuki), but he didn’t expect such a thrilled crowd.

An overweight, nerdy-looking ultimate first-year rubbed his nose on the cafeteria’s windows as he stared outside in awe. Along with him sat another ultimate first-year with a crazy mane of brown dreadlocks. Their conversations seemed to crescendo into a spiraling geek contest following the lines of superheroes, powers, identities, _superheroes, powers, ladybugs, comic books, powers, cats, identities!_ It went on and on it made his head hurt just from witnessing that alone. 

Hajime’s classmates huddled together on the other side of the cafeteria, they seemed to travel in a pack. And for some unknown reason, Mikan, who he’d expect to be bawling on the floor, having a panic attack, and simultaneously flashing every single person in her vicinity, was instead displaying _happiness._ How are people amused by what happened? It began to eat at Hajime’s brain until he could feel it rot.

“Can you really believe that?” Nagito interrupted his thoughts. Hajime looked over and saw him staring back at him.

“Believe what…? Believe what just happened? Because, no,” Hajime chuckled in disbelief. “I mean, a robot bear attacks a city, is almost half the size of the Eiffel Tower, then disappears into thin air?”

“Thin air? I could’ve sworn I saw two people jumping around. If you asked me, Hajime, I would think it was Mister Bug and Chat Noir.” The two of them started their way deeper into the cafeteria in order to reach their group of classmates. Chisa had already left their sides, so it was just Nagito and Hajime, walking together. The chatter of Hope’s Peak students engulfed the majority of the atmosphere. 

“Oh yeah, those two heroes,” Hajime tried to think about Nagito’s answer with an answer of his own, one that would seem clueless enough. “I’ve been hearing a lot about them lately… Real-life superheroes, can you believe that?”

“Believe what? Believe that they’re really superheroes?” Nagito teased with a smirk on his lips. He wanted to wipe that sly look off his face while kissing it at the same time– _ergh! Focus Hajime._

“Hey! You’re acting like I don’t _actually_ believe what just happened,” he laughed. Nagito joined in with a few chuckles of his own until they reached the group of familiar faces.

Kazuichi was the first to spot Hajime. His eyes lit up like they always did when he spotted something of his interest. Hajime had to endure the other boy’s friendly smacks on the back, the force of them pushing him forward one after the other. Every day they got harsher and harsher… 

Chiaki approached him from the back of the group with the brightest grin on her face. Surprisingly, her nose wasn’t buried in a videogame for once. “Hajime, where did you go? You missed the craziest part.”

Nagito went his separate ways as Fuyuhiko led him to their own little group. A bit of Hajime felt envious, but he shouldn’t try to push the boundaries and follow them. At least for today. “I got lost in all the commotion so I went to the bathrooms instead. Sorry if you worried, but I’m fine.”

“Of course you’re fine, you just missed the best part, though!” Kazuichi practically yelled into his ear, the excitement taking over. “Man, Mister Bug and Chat Noir came and _destroyed_ it!”

“… Well, they didn’t destroy it, Kazuichi,” Chiaki chimed in. “They seemed to have… Solved it. With their powers.”

“How do you solve a robot,” Hajime said in disbelief.

Kazuichi barked a laugh as his hands rested upon his waist. “That’s why you should’ve been here to see it. Sucks for you, ey?”

“Yeah, sure does. You guys will have to tell me about it.”

Kazuichi and Chiaki talked over each other before they dissolved into a back and forth conversation, each word blended with incredibility as they recounted the fight. The girl reenacted the scene as she punched the air, her skirt swaying along with her while Kazuichi melted into boisterous laughter. Hajime hadn’t seen them this excited in a while with schoolwork in their way, so it was a bit of a reliever after everything that’s been happening recently. 

And he knew for certain that he was glad they were his friends.

* * *

The class was the same as usual, their teachers went on with lectures, Chiaki kept pestering him about his staring problem, and the city wasn’t in any form of trouble. It was a sharp turn compared to what had happened earlier that day and Hajime wasn’t sure how to process it. As he picked at his nails, the words being written on the board blurred together into a jumbled mess. It came to the point where he should probably ask somebody for their notes after class.

The bell rang and everybody got out of their seats for the end of the day. Compared to before, the sun that once rose and turned the city to a peach hue now began to set with an orange glow. The light painted their class’s walls and desks, their shadows grazing the corners of the rooms. A draft of wind swept out of the air conditioner and sent chills down Hajime’s spine. Despite wearing a jacket, this place was quite chilly.

“Hey, Hajime, I was thinking we could get a few people together and study in the library,” Chiaki said. As she packed her things, Kazuichi popped up by their table and leaned his hands against its wood.

“I can join in,” he grinned. There was something on his face in which Hajime felt irked by, “and I can _also_ get a few _other_ people to join in as well.”

The two turned to look at Hajime, shit-eating grins written all over their lips. He didn’t like where this was going whatsoever. As he was about to interrupt, Chiaki pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, “what do you say…? This is a great chance to study. And a great chance to talk to friends.”

He could only wonder what _friend_ she was referring to. Nevertheless, he didn’t have an option to decline. There was no point in declining either because any chance with Nagito was a chance he would accept without a doubt. Hajime made sure to show the reluctance on his face before he nodded. “Yeah. Sure, why not.”

“That’s great. Give me a few minutes to get ready,” Chiaki said. “Can you get the others, Kazuichi?”

Kazuichi’s headbanging rivaled Ibuki’s as the boy nodded insistently before running off towards a mop of white hair. Hajime swung his backpack onto his shoulders, trying to pretend this conversation never happened but to no avail. _These people were way too into this._ Yet, he couldn’t deny that he was grateful. Even if their attempts usually ended up with Hajime’s face looking like a tomato as his body withered away with embarrassment.

Their walk to the library was loud, just as expected from a group of friends. Chiaki and Kazuichi kept giving him these weird side-glances while Fuyuhiko and Nagito talked about their own stories. In fact, some of the stories they brought up were unbelievable. Were they even real or were they exaggerating? Hajime was used to hearing their spiels, but at times he wished they weren’t true. Seriously.

The smell of paperback books lining the shelves and the big windows mounting over the city was an elegant view. Hajime forgot how peaceful the library really was. Maybe he should come here more often. Kazuichi was the first to run towards a table and drop his bags off, the rest of them following soon after. Their table was settled right next to the glass windows giving them all the light that they had needed. Bless this timing because the sun made the chairs warm and he was not gonna sit in another room with the air conditioner on blast. Hajime pulled his jacket closer together before taking out his items. 

“So, what are we working on right now?” Fuyuhiko asked. He’d already unpacked and his pen was in hand.

“Hajime didn’t sleep much last night,” Chiaki began, “so he missed the notes for some of our classes. I’m thinking we can help him out while doing our own thing.”

“I don’t have much to do currently. I can help Hajime,” Nagito said. He could already feel his friends elated attitudes without even looking at them. Along with the two pairs of eyes on him came the nervous sweat that was already forming on his neck. There was no break for him, was there?

“Kazuichi, didn’t you need help with chemistry?” Fuyuhiko asked.

“Mm? Yeah, I don’t understand anything in that class. What do you have?”

The two boys sat next to each other, textbooks laid out in front of them. While they talked, Chiaki looked over towards the brunet with a glint in her eye. “Don’t worry about me, Hajime. I have a lot of things to study at the moment. I’m sure you’ll be fine with Nagito. I think.”

Hajime was tempted to elbow her for that last bit. Before he could do anything, however, Nagito had already stolen Kazuichi’s old seat and was now sitting side-by-side with him. Hajime wanted to shrivel up and die because they were too damn close. He could feel the other’s body heat despite being in a jacket.

“What classes do you need catching up on, Hajime?”

_He’s so close I can see how pretty his eyes are._

“U-uh, I need help with my math classes. Er–just my math class. Because I only have one math class.” He wanted to punch himself in the gut. A few seconds passed by until he realized he was supposed to _open his notebook._ The awkward laugh he let out was way too forced and now he was worried Nagito thought he was being a sack of shit at the moment. Nevertheless, the other laughed along with him as Hajime open his notebook to a blank page. Nagito slid his own notebook forward and stared at his writing.

“For the first problem, we have to use what we learned yesterday,” Nagito said, “but these problems are more complex… I’ll show you how to do them. They can get a bit tricky sometimes.”

Nagito analyzed the problem before tapping his pencil on the sheet of paper. 

“A way to explain this problem… Figuratively, let’s say I’m on the top,” 

_Nagito’s on the top…_

“And you’re on the bottom.” 

_And I’m on the bottom…_

“The only way we can finish… Is by coming…”

_Is by wha–_

“… Over to this area in the diagram.”

“Yes! That’s it, it’s by doing that, going to that area. Of the diagram.” Hajime was not ready to hear those words spoken right _next to his fucking ear._

“So you’re starting to understand? By replacing us with the numbers, you can manage to get the solution. You were always smart in math class, Hajime.” He felt his face radiate the warmth of a firepit. It was most likely as red as their wooden embers too, dammit. And he was never even good in math class, to begin with.

The brunet cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, “um, thanks.”

“Do you think you can do this problem on your own? I can help you out if you need anything.”

In all honesty, this problem was still not processing in his head. On the other hand, he did _not_ want to go through the same embarrassment he went through now. Hajime had to face his problems. He had to face them no matter what.

“I need to use the restroom,” Hajime blurted. “When I come back I’ll need more help. So, I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be here if you need anything,” Nagito smiled so, so brightly. He felt his heart swell from that imagery alone, from the backdrop of the orange city highlighting his figure to the locks of hair framing his face perfectly. Hajime had to get out of there before he started to stare like a creep.

The brunet got out of his seat and made his way towards the door. He could feel Chiaki’s eyes drill holes into the back of his head, either of disappointment or disbelief. Or both. Once he exited the library, the cold air conditioning against his face managed to wake him up from the lovestruck haze he found himself in. Now he can actually think straight. _And maybe inviting Nagito was a mistake._ He couldn’t do a math problem without picturing things that shouldn’t be pictured even though those pictures had nothing to do with the actual picture on his notebook page, _shit!_

On his walk towards the bathrooms, Vyxaam snuck out of his jacket and snuggled into his collar. Hajime could feel him shifting around in there until he finally found a comfortable spot. “You’re not good with ladies _or_ guys. I’ve never had a Mister Bug that swung both ways before!”

“How the hell did you know I swung both–” Hajime bit his tongue, eventually aware of the classrooms with after-hours. The boy lowered his tone to a whisper, sighing in defeat. “Don’t say things that I already know.”

“It’s okay, you have me as your wingman. I can assure you that I have successfully gotten four people together in my life.”

“And how old are you.” Hajime monotonously said.

“13 billion years old!”

 _“13 billion years old?!”_ He whispered. “You’ve gotten four people together in 13 billion years.”

“It’s a start. Maybe you and Nagito will be the lucky two that join that number!”

Hajime opened the bathroom door and stepped inside. The times with Vyxaam over the past few days have been interesting, to say the least. The Kwami was extremely optimistic, never an end in sight for his positivity. Hajime thought this would interfere with his pessimism, but somehow they managed to work well together through all of their crime-fighting.

In the end, however, Hajime didn’t need to use the restroom. He needed a well-deserved break from everything that was happening at once, including Vyxaam’s shuffling inside of his jacket’s collar. The boy had to piece his melting self together before he slid through the cracks. Nagito was so distracting that he just couldn’t help it. How has he gotten past this school year without flunking?

As Hajime splashed water onto his face, he dried it off using the paper towels. Inhaling slowly to calm his nerves, he looked at himself in the mirror once again. _Just get your act together. You can do a math problem sitting next to him, it’s not that hard. It’s only a small crush, Hajime. You don’t have to freak out every time he walks into the same room as you–_

“Hajime, are you alright?”

He almost bent his ankle at an awkward angle when he turned around to face the one and only, Nagito.

“Y-yeah, I’m alright. Just thinking.” He saw Nagito approach him from the doorway, the way his lips parted in curiosity took Hajime’s soul straight out of his body.

“Sorry if I interrupted you,” the boy said. “The others were worried about how long you spent in here, so I decided to come and check on you.”

_Has it really been that long?_

“Ah, thanks, but it’s nothing.” _Say something else so it didn’t seem like you shit your pants or pissed yourself, c’mon Hajime._ “The thing with the robot has gotten me a bit, uh, shaken up, and all. I guess I’ve been worried.”

“About your safety?”

“Yeah, yes.”

Nagito smiled in his direction and gestured with his hand as he spoke. “Hajime there’s no need to be worried. I’m certain Mister Bug will save everyone, it’s what he always does.”

“How… can you be so sure…?” He trailed off. Hajime crossed his arms and stared at the ground beneath him, their bodies reflecting off the spotless tiles. These recent turn of events in his life would always plague him with a bit more anxiety than he had asked for. The thought of fighting a monster like earlier today on a daily basis would be exhausting after a long period of time. “We’re not certain that Mister Bug and Chat Noir can save everything. Everyone. What if they mess up?”

The feeling of a comforting hand squeezed his shoulder, blossoming warmth sprouting from Nagito’s fingers. Hajime looked up and saw his face closer than before. From here he could see the details in his dusty green eyes, his white eyelashes, the quirk in the corner of his lips. His heart was beating faster than expected. “If you believe in them, I know they will continue to fight. Plus, Mister Bug’s performance was outstanding! How could you not believe in him?”

“I-It’s already on the internet?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. You should check it out, the way Mister Bug swings with his rope, it’s amazing,” Hajime felt the rush of heat encompass his face. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“What about Chat Noir? He seems really cool too.”

“Chat Noir… Yeah. He’s cool too.


	4. God, why were there so many creeps at Hope’s Peak?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can't remember if they said Makoto had a shady face or if Hajime had a face, so I said fuck it and now Hajime has a shady face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr, twitter, n insta are @toxicpoopoo if you ever wanna contact me ;) I also make art so there's that lol

Nagito knew that his luck was beginning to decline. He’s been saved by Mister Bug seventeen times in two weeks. That’s almost three times a day. His running streak of good luck was going to an end and Nagito had seen this coming. However, being saved by  _ Mister Bug _ after all of those run-ins with attempted kidnapping, mugging, and car accidents have been somewhat… Nice.

Of course, Nagito felt horrible. Bothering Mister Bug with his unnecessary existence of being saved over and over again was just a nuisance at this point. Being caught in his arms, occasionally through mid-air or being pushed out of the way from an oncoming vehicle became something he got used to. Dare he say, he looked forward to them. It wasn’t every day that you got to be held by Paris’s well-known superhero! 

When he transformed into Chat Noir, the bad luck didn’t stop coming his way. The unluckiest times were when Mister Bug summoned his Lucky Charm. The villains they fought weren’t very challenging, usually over within a few minutes, yet when Nagito’s luck got in the way, everything went to chaos. The Lucky Charm would turn into an Unlucky Charm, backlashing in their faces with a falling building or an explosion from nearby whenever Mister Bug used it. Chat Noir was so difficult to be around and he could tell Mister Bug was starting to feel the same way.

Thankfully, with Mister Bug’s spectacular abilities, he was able to solve the problems Chat Noir had caused. He was truly  _ amazing. _ Nagito didn’t deserve to work alongside such a strong source of hope. Neither did he deserve to be saved by him in the first place, yet he was so selfish.

Nagito had just separated from Fuyuhiko on his walk home. The light breeze against his jacket and through his hair, the aroma of flowers and greeneries from the nearest floral shop, this familiar scenery was quite pleasant to him. As he crossed the road, each side surrounded by the tall, familiar Paris apartments, Nagito walked down a secluded and silent path. The leaves danced around while the wind whistled from in between them. Weeds, now beginning to cross onto the path he wandered upon, grew higher and higher the longer he went. That was until he faced a black gate, put in the code, and entered.

If it wasn’t obvious enough, Nagito lived in a mansion, the one he inherited after his parents’ deaths. As the entrance doors opened and he walked in, his shoes tapped against the echoing tiles. No one seemed to be home, but it always gave off that sort of feeling. Usually, there were only two people inside at the most, himself and Kirumi, Nagito’s housekeeper. She didn’t seem to be there at the moment.

Nagito walked up the stairs blanketed with a calming blue. Once he reached the upstairs and traveled down the long hallway, he encountered his bedroom door and went in. There he stood near the large windows, the ones he always woke up to and studied next to. Orange light filled his room and painted over the remaining furniture he never touched (only Kirumi did, and that was for cleaning).

Placing his backpack down and throwing his jacket on the bed, Nagito sat on his desk chair and took out his papers. He wasn’t a fan of homework, just like the rest of Hope’s Peak students, but he might as well try and get some done before he gets bored and goes out as Chat Noir. So that’s exactly what he did, scribbled down some answers, brainstormed a bit, made a trip down to the kitchen and poured himself a glass before he came back up and read an entry from his textbook. 

Yet his thoughts were interrupted from a knock on his window. At first, he thought it might have been a bird too careless to watch where it was going, but when he looked up, he saw Mister Bug in the flesh - or suit - perched upon the barrier railing like it was nothing. He never knew luck could be on his side for once, but the thought of Mister Bug coming to him because he knew his identity, Nagito’s thoughts stopped in their tracks. Being a superhero was awfully paranoia-inducing.

The boy went up to his window and opened it, eyes wide and surprised at the strange encounter. “Mister Bug, what are you doing here?”

“Can I have your number?”

* * *

_ You idiot what are you doing?!  _

“You’d like… My number?”

“Yeah. It’s not for anything special…” Hajime chuckled nervously. “It’s just, you’ve been in a lot of trouble lately, and I think it’d be better if you would call me just in case anything happens. Seriously, it’s like you’ve been cursed or something, it really, uh. It really worries me.”

_ You’re only getting his number because you have a raging crush on him. What hole are you digging yourself into now, Hajime…  _

“Plus, on your way here you almost got hit by two cars. That’s not  _ normal.” _

“Ah,” Nagito peeped. “That’s what those sounds were! I thought it was rush hour…”

Hajime caught himself staring a minute too long until he spoke. “Yeah, um. Well,” he scratched his cheek. “I mean, if you don’t wanna give me your number, that’s fine, it’s just. Y’know, cars, saving you from dying… A piano once, you remember that?”

“Yes, the piano, I remember,” Nagito smiled. “I hope Kaede’s alright. But you can have my number, Mister Bug. I just wonder how you’ll call me.”

“A burner phone.”

“A burner phone? That seems quite suspicious for a superhero.”

Sometimes it was hard to tell if Nagito was joking or not. “I can assure you, I’m not suspicious.” Hajime tried his best to give him the most non-suspicious smile ever. People have told him he had a shady face, so he was thankful for the mask.

“I was thinking about this and maybe you can write down your number and I’ll insert it into the phone,” he said. “Once I get it, I’ll call you?”

“I’m grateful that you’re thinking of me, Mister Bug,”  _ don’t kiss him, that’s sexual assault, you need consent.  _ “I’ll write it down right now.”

Nagito went to his school work and tore a bit off the paper, writing a few numbers on it before heading back. He leaned against the window with his arms resting upon the seal. “Here you go. Try not to call me during school hours. Unless something bad will happen.”

He was certain he couldn’t do that since they were in the same class. “I won’t. Thanks. I’ll make sure to call you in case you’re in any trouble.”

“Sounds good,” Nagito said. There was a small moment of silence, both of them expecting the other to talk. Nagito looked down at the roads beneath them with a smile across his lips. “Thanks for caring about me. It means a lot.”

“O-oh, no, don’t mention it, it’s in the job.”  _ Shit! Too rude, too rude! _ “I didn’t mean it like that, I mean that I care about a lot of people. And I care about you, so.”

“I understand, Mister Bug, don’t worry.” The boy pushed away from the window and hung his arm on the top of it. “It was nice talking to you.”

“Yeah, you too.” Hajime felt his heart pound against his chest as Nagito closed the window. He really wanted to stay and watch him in his own habitat, but the boy wasn’t a guinea pig to be stared at. Hajime hopped off the barrier railing and onto the nearest building, feeling the beats of his heart thump like rabbit feet. Was this really the only way he could have a somewhat normal conversation with Nagito? He doubted it, it wasn’t normal to begin with.

As Hajime ventured across the rooftops, he held onto the piece of paper in his hand as his life depended on it. Maybe it would be better to transform back and to buy the burner phone just to get it out of the way. The boy jumped down and landed in between two secluded buildings, the alleyway dark and isolated from the rest of the passersby.

“Vyxaam, spots off!” Light radiated from his clothing pin until the Kwami appeared into thin air. The costume he once felt on his body was replaced with his school uniform along with his backpack. Hajime had to admit, this hero part was getting a bit tricky to deal with. Right after school, he wandered upon a thief stealing some tourist’s bag and he had to go after him. Hajime caught him right near the police station so it was easy to get rid of that situation, jeez.

“Hajime, that wasn’t a good idea, y’know!” The Kwami complained. His arms rested on his waist as he glared at him with big eyes.

“It’s only if something bad happens to him. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, oh no, there is definitely  _ something _ to worry about!” He said. Hajime was exiting the alleyway, Vyxaam flying towards his collar and nagging him from there. “You have a huuuuuge thing for that boy! If you think you can get away with this then you are absolutely, positively, not going to get away with this!”

Hajime rolled his eyes and lowered his speaking volume. “I won’t abuse this or anything, trust me, Vyxaam. I’ll only use it when it rings or when I know Nagito is in danger, alright? You can even try and scold me if you’d like.”

“As much as I love doing what I want to do,” Vyxaam began. “Sometimes you have to obey certain things!”

He didn’t seem to budge on this idea, so Hajime wouldn’t either. The boy approached a small drug store and walked in. The chime of the bell rang above his head while the automatic doors slid closed behind him. Chill air blew from the ceiling fan, and if being Mister Bug made Hajime work up a sweat once transformed back, maybe he would be at peace with this. He hated air conditioning almost as much as that creep did in the grade above him.

He made his way down a few aisles as he began his search. Laundry section, food section, medical section, until, finally, he found the phones. These burner phones were cheap-looking and their price tag really showed it. Around ten euros for each one. Hajime reached out his hand towards the smallest one, one with a simple keypad that didn’t flip open.

“Hey, Hajime, how’s it going?”

A voice belonging to the one and only, “ah, Kaito, hey. Hey Shuichi.”

“Never thought I’d see you over here. I thought you lived farther away?” Kaito asked. It looked like he was starting small talk and right now was  _ not a good time _ for small talk.

“Nah, my family actually moved a while back,” he said. “This place is really nice. Never expected these many restaurants in one area, y’know?”

“Maybe you can bring some of your friends and eat with us some time?” Kaito grinned, patting Shuichi’s back. It looked like he wasn’t expecting it as he almost lost his footing. Kaito didn’t seem to notice. “Our friends have been pretty busy studying lately. Oh, hey, Shuichi, what was that cafe Maki told us about?”

“Le Peloton. I heard they had really great reviews.”

“Plus, Maki recommended it, I’m sure it’s great! What do you say Hajime? Wanna tag along with us one of these days?”

Wow, that conversation really went on ahead without him. Placing himself back on track, Hajime nodded and gave them a friendly smile. “Yeah, sure, text me the info and I’ll bring a couple of friends.” Kaito returned the smile with his own, giving him a thumbs up.

“Not to butt in, but Kaito and I saw you wandering around here. You looked a bit lost. Do you need any help finding anything?” Shuichi asked. After a beat, his eyes scanned the aisles and he shifted in place awkwardly. “Sorry, that’s a force of habit. I kind of work here on weekends. My dad owns the place.”

“Ah, it’s fine.” Hajime shrugged. “I actually found what I was looking for…”

The burner phones were right next to this section, so he should just take something else at random. Nothing that could make him seem suspicious. Buying these phones would make him seem like a drug lord, so he should just get one from the other section–

“Condoms.”

_ What the fuck?! _ Why are these  _ right next to the burner phones?! What the hell?! _

“No, I meant,” Hajime stumbled across his thoughts like a mouse caught in a trap trying to find its way out of their shitty situation. “I’m not buying condoms, I’m buying–bonbons. I’m gonna put this back and go buy some bonbons. That’s why I’m here–”

“Right on, Hajime!” Kaito slapped his back. “Good luck on scoring–”

“No, that’s not what I–”

“Oh, wow,” was all Shuichi said.

“I was not looking for these, I swear–”

“Since Shuichi’s dad owns this place and all, maybe he could give you a discount.” Kaito pointed his thumb towards the other boy’s direction. Hajime’s eyes widened and his face was beginning to heat up more and more. This would be a great time to disappear.

“Yeah, no. Not happening,” Shuichi said. “But, good job, Hajime.”

“I’ll be texting you the info later on,” Kaito explained. He and Shuichi were already starting down the aisle as fast as the conversation began. “Don’t bring your girl, though, I’m thinking this is a boys’ type of hang.”

“See you, Hajime,” Shuichi said.

“… Yeah. See you.”

That went horribly. Now people are gonna stick their nose where it doesn’t belong the next time he comes to school. Word travels fast in the Ultimate department. Hajime slid his hand down his face and exhaled all of his stress, which didn’t do him any good as one would expect. His hand grabbed a hanging phone and he shuffled down the aisle. He didn’t care about buying any snacks in order to hide the fact that he was buying a burner. After that encounter, he lost all forms of shame.

Hajime placed the phone on the counter and took out his money, paying for the item and swiftly leaving the store without looking back. He felt Vyxaam shift around in his collar and peek his head out.

“I’m sooo sorry for whatever that was,” he giggled. “Maybe that was a sign  _ not _ to do this?”

“Not happening. I’m doing this for his own good, not for my benefit.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

The brunet rolled his eyes once again and took a deep breath. Once out of the shop, Hajime reentered the alleyway and transformed back to Mister Bug. Calling Nagito back could wait for a bit. 

He went on his way, hopping around rooftops after rooftops in search of trouble. It seemed like a normal day, this afternoon didn’t have anything heavy to take care of. Just the cool breeze and the smell of fresh food coming from the nearby restaurants. A familiar black dot in the distance quickly jumped towards Hajime using a staff. Chat Noir finally approached him and perched upon a rooftop ledge, his smile crinkling the edge of his eyes, just like always.

“Hello, Mister Bug! Fancy meeting you here,” he said. Chat Noir placed his hands on the top of the staff, leaning against it as the item held him still on the ledge. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on, that’s the thing. I’m sure Hawkmoth isn’t waiting around, but it can get a bit boring running all day on watch.” Hajime sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“It seems as if you  _ want _ to fight an Akumatized person,” Chat Noir said. He beamed and let out a soft chuckle from his chest. The hero jumped from the ledge, landing in front of him. “Paris’s Hope wanting despair to thrive. I never could’ve expected that.”

“You sure talk about hope and despair a lot,” Hajime murmured.

“If you want me to stop, you can tell me to shut up,” he smiled.

“No, no. We have to focus on something else.” After sharing a few fights, he and Chat Noir have been getting accustomed to each other’s presence. The amount of self-deprecation the hero throws at him hasn’t raised as much concern as their first encounter, however, it still gnaws at his brain. One of these days, Hajime is afraid Chat Noir will do something careless, even more careless than what he does now.

“There hasn’t been much crime, have you noticed?” Chat Noir asked. “I think you might be doing something to this city. You’re truly full of hope, Mister Bug! I was thinking, maybe to celebrate, I can buy you some ice cream?”

“Ice cream? Chat Noir, we’re heroes. We’re not supposed to hang out and eat together.” He swears the other hero can be a bit demanding to his own mental state. It’s understandable since Chat Noir’s mental state would definitely bring others down along with him.  _ Would this hero stuff break me apart? _

“I guess you’re correct. It’s a shame, though. Wouldn’t it be better to relax a bit? You did say you were getting bored.”

Hajime glared at Chat Noir. The same smile he always wore across his lips didn’t seem empty like it usually did, in fact, this one was a little hopeful. And damn him for using that word, but it suited the hero. For some reason, Hajime couldn’t deny the offer, but it was only because he was bored out of his mind from running across buildings and not finding a single thing to do. It wouldn’t hurt to rest a bit.

“Alright, fine. Sure,” Hajime faltered. “Just this once, though. Don’t get any bright ideas later on.”

“Thank you so much, Mister Bug! For you to accept an offer from someone like me is a once in a lifetime event.” Chat Noir grinned before looking off into the distance. He seemed to be searching for the ice cream place amidst all of the buildings blocking the way.

“How much does the ice cream cost?” Hajime asked.

“You don’t need to worry about it. I couldn’t burden you with payment. That’s why I’ll buy the ice cream for us.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

Chat Noir had finally spotted the shop and told Hajime to follow his trail. The two heroes jumped off the roof and traveled across the city for a few minutes and once they got there, it wasn’t exactly what Hajime was expecting. It was  _ far _ from what Hajime was expecting because he thought there would be a fancy building with chairs outside and people eating nearby. But instead, it was Teruteru on the Pont Des Arts bridge standing behind an ice cream stall with the logo of his family’s restaurant written atop the canopy roof. 

As Teruteru handed out a new cone for a customer, you could quite frankly tell he was flirting with them from his prominent winking and “charming” grin (that’s what Teruteru called it). The amount of smug written across his round face was excruciatingly painful to watch in action. Nonetheless, his family’s food was out of this world. The type of food one would involuntarily moan over, which was bad because that’s probably what Teruteru wanted.

“I wasn’t expecting him to be operating the stand today,” Chat Noir said.

“You know him?”

“No, I only see him run the ice cream stand from time to stand. I’m a regular customer.”

Great. Now curiosity will force Hajime to visit this stand just to pick out who might be Chat Noir. At least now he was certain it wasn’t Teruteru.  _ That part was a blessing. _

Hajime walked up to the stand with Chat Noir, both receiving a surprised expression from the boy. His swirl of brown hair bounced around as Teruteru looked up at them with pure delight, rosy cheeks growing even redder than before.

“M-Mister Bug, Chat Noir, y-you guys are here! At my stall!” He tried his hardest to contain his excitement, but it didn’t seem to work whatsoever.

“Uh, hi, T–” Hajime cleared his throat. “I never knew there was an ice cream stall here.”

“It’s been here for a while. Maybe you two lovebirds can give it a try and tell me how it tastes,” he practically purred and raised his eyebrows. That sentence was told  _ very _ suggestively. 

Hajime turned to Chat Noir and saw him shrug before placing his finger against his chin in thought. He supposed that was Teruteru’s normal behavior with every customer, so Hajime let it slide. Looking at the menu, the hero scanned the flavors until he came across a few that caught his eye.

“Aren’t you two heroes supposed to be saving people? Not to be nosy or rude, pardon me, but what brings you fine gentlemen over here? ” Teruteru asked with a wink. It took a lot of effort to hide his visible cringe, but Hajime tried his best. 

“Mister Bug and I are just taking a break for a while,” Chat Noir started. “I never knew he would need them, though. He’s amazing on his own.”

“Amazing, huh? He certainly  _ does _ look  _ amazing–” _

“–I’ll have chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry,” Hajime interrupted.  _ “Please.” _

“Oh, Mister Bug, you certainly know what you want.” There has never been a moment in his life in which he wanted to punch Teruteru this much. But he was a hero right now. He was a symbol for Paris and symbols didn’t punch ice cream sellers in the face on the Love Lock Bridge.  _ They didn’t. _

Teruteru handed him the ice cream cone, his tan fingers grazing his own for a bit too long before letting go. Chat Noir said his order and Teruteru whipped it up and handed it over. Teruteru did the same thing to Chat Noir’s fingers like the damn creep he was.  _ God, why were there so many creeps at Hope’s Peak?  _

He was glad his suit separated skin contact, though.

“You two have fun, now,” Teruteru cooed. “We appreciate what you’re doing. ”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks,” Hajime awkwardly said. Chat Noir dug some money from his pockets (he wasn’t sure how the pockets got there) and slid it over the stall’s counter. It was about time to get out of there, so he and Chat Noir were already walking off the bridge and down the river. The brunet scooped the ice cream onto his spoon and ate it and it was  _ great. _ Maybe Teruteru was an okay asset to Hope’s Peak. Maybe.

“Do you like it, Mister Bug?”

Hajime finished taking a bite from his spoon and nodded. “It’s really good, thanks for buying it for me. I feel like I’m still trying to find every special spot in Paris, y’know?”

“Even as Chat Noir, jumping around all the time hasn’t helped me see every nook and cranny. I understand,” Chat Noir said. 

The two of them wandered to a bench and sat next to each other. The river in front of them held a few boats floating downstream, their engines humming throughout the atmosphere. The buildings from across the water were surrounded by people walking back and forth, some laughing with each other and some smiling. Aromas of fresh pastries mixed with chocolate icing drafted with a sickly sweet smell. Hajime looked down towards the clear water, each ripple reflecting the orange sky from above. For a second, he was wrapped in his own thoughts.

“We need to work on your problem,” Hajime said out of the blue.

“Which one?”

“Er, your self-deprecation.”

“Ah. That,” Chat Noir said. The hero stared down at the water after sticking his spoon back into his ice cream. “I apologize if I get in the way, Mister Bug. I am dead weight after all. It’s important to get that fact out of the way before I mess everything up.”

“That’s what I’m talking about. You need to realize that you’re a part of this team thing we have going on,” Hajime looked at Chat Noir, determination in his eyes. He’s been wanting to say this for quite a while, yet with saving people and school in the way, it was hard to sneak this in. “I don’t know how I can convince you, but you’re just as useful as me. So, stop saying you’re ‘dead weight’ or that you’re ‘worthless,’ because you’re not.

A tired laugh escaped Chat Noir’s lips. It wasn’t like the first time he saw him, no, this laugh was just plain exhausted. “If you want me to stop, then I won’t talk if it annoys you, Mister Bug.”

Hajime’s brows furrowed in confusion. Did this guy understand what he was saying? Has he ever gotten praise in the first place? “No, that’s not what I’m trying to say–”

“I’m still surprised you’re in one piece,” Chat Noir interrupted. His eyes seemed hazy like they weren’t focusing on anything in front of him. “After every encounter with my bad luck, you pushed through it. Even though you’ve been harmed by me, you’ve pushed through it because you’re always so hopeful. I sometimes wonder how that’s even possible because my luck always…”

He waited for him to continue, but Chat Noir never did. Chat Noir lowered his hands on his lap, his ice cream cone resting upon his thigh. That hollow gaze of his sent chills down Hajime’s spine. It was so empty and restless, a side that Hajime hasn’t seen yet. The atmosphere had changed completely.

“Your luck always… What?”

“It’s always taken people away.” Chat Noir said with a  _ smile. _ He was back to his usual self, or at least he tried to be his usual self. He raised his hands and took a spoonful of his ice cream, eating it before continuing. “But I suppose it was for the better since my good luck would come back and give me something in return.”

“Chat Noir…” Hajime sighed. The hero was so focused on the concept of luck that it was basically a part of him. Was it possible to separate the two? After a couple of battles, all Chat Noir could do was apologize for his luck getting in the way of his Lucky Charm, like it was his fault Hajime made a few mistakes while using it. They were still getting used to this lifestyle. Everything wasn’t Chat Noir’s fault and Hajime desperately wanted him to know that.

Ever so slowly, Hajime lifted his hand to Chat Noir’s shoulder and gently placed it down. He felt the boy flinch and Hajime’s hand stilled in place.

“I’m sorry–”

“It’s fine,” Chat Noir said. After a moment, his bright green eyes met his own, and Hajime placed his hand on his shoulder once again.

“I know we’re heroes, and I know we’re supposed to save Paris. Or whatever,” the brunet said softly. He’s never given a pep talk like this before. “I’m kind of lost right now, so I’m guessing you are too. So we should work together in getting through this. Y’know, work together fighting Akumas and fighting, uh. Your luck, I suppose.”

“What are you trying to say, Mister Bug?”

“What I’m trying to say is… I’m trying to say…” Hajime looked away in thought, but nothing came up. Nothing at all besides the need to make Chat Noir feel better.

“I don’t know what I’m trying to say.” 

He didn’t exactly  _ know _ how to effectively say it. There was no other way to say it. The only way was to show it.


	5. I think you’d become a great drug dealer with that burner phone!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WOW this chapter is a roller coaster idk where im GOIN with this fic but its heeeeelllaaaaa fun to write especially the characters theyre so colorful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YA IK THEY HAVENT FOUGHT VILLAINS FOR A WHILE BUT.... i like slice of life....
> 
> btw i abuse the CRAP outta italics ahaha

“I made a blog,” Chiaki said. “Called the Mister Blog.”

Chiaki held her phone near Hajime and showed him the screen. A red and black polka-dotted background stood behind pictures of Mister Bug swinging across buildings, summoning his Lucky Charm, fighting Akumatized victims, and studying his ladybug miraculous. There were separate tabs that led to a chat room, more photos, summaries, blogs. How many fans did he have? It’s only been a few weeks!

The cafeteria was loud so it was a bit difficult to make out what everyone was saying at their table. Kazuichi, Akane, Nekomaru, Chiaki, and Hajime were sitting at a table in the middle of the room, three of them deep in conversation. 

“He’s so cool! I had to make something dedicated to him. The chat rooms are already filling up and I’m thinking of branching out to different social media. It practically blew up overnight the day I first made it,” Chiaki began to scroll through her phone and clicked on one of the tabs. She seemed invested in this just as much as she was invested in her gaming, which was really astonishing to Hajime. And a bit weird too. One of his best friends was also one of his fans without even knowing it.

“Mind texting me the link? I’ll follow it or something so you can get more subscriptions,” Hajime said, completely and totally not interested in this website whatsoever. A few seconds later, he received the text and clicked on it. The link led him to the blog with a front cover of Mister Bug jumping through the air. It was starting to get, well, odd, to say the least. When were these pictures taken? Maybe he was too caught up in fighting to miss these super great cameras because these were some super great photos. Seriously, the detail was _amazing_ compared to the other photos _._ _What if these were from news reporter cameras? Was he on the news?_

“So. Mister Bug,” Hajime began. “What do you think of him?”

“Hmm. He’s kind of like a superhero I saw in a videogame one time. He reminds me of that character, and I really liked that character. I can’t remember his name, but he was cool,” Chiaki paused and thought for a moment. “Yep, he was a hero with great character development too.”

Well, that was a vague reason. Moving on, Hajime was thinking that he could check out the website and see what people say about him, get some information on how to improve. Maybe there could even be a tab alerting Mister Bug about crimes that are happening around the area, he’d have to sneak that suggestion in some time. Hajime clicked on the ‘blog’ tab and it led him to a page filled with Chiaki’s notes on Mister Bug. From the day he first appeared along with Chat Noir, to one of the recent crimes he’s stopped. He didn’t know what to say, but he knew he felt a bit of flattery, that’s for sure.

“How long have you been–”

From his bag, a loud ringing erupted, a high-pitched chiming ringtone. _Crap,_ it was his burner! Did it have to be this loud? Why was his burner phone _this loud._ His friends at his table stopped talking and looked over towards Hajime with confusion on their faces. All the boy could do was dig into his backpack and grab the phone, barely taking it out and glaring at the blinking screen. Akane, Nekomaru, Kazuichi, and Chiaki stared at him with bug eyes, shocked at the sudden interruption. He waved his hand at them to keep doing their own thing.

When Hajime first called Nagito on this burner, it was right after eating ice cream with Chat Noir near the Love Lock Bridge yesterday. He had to admit it was a bit awkward calling another person as a secret identity, but he pushed through. But, what was he up to now? Was he in any trouble?

Wait. Wait, wait, wait, hold on a second. Across his table, standing idly near the doors was the familiar mane of white hair with a phone right near his ear. It didn’t help that he wasn’t too far away either and Hajime was certain the other boy could’ve heard the burner phone and… Shit. Alright, how is he gonna get out of this one? The phone was still ringing and if it kept ringing any longer then more and more people would stop talking and focus their attention on the incessant, annoying, ear-piercing screeches this phone was screaming out.

Hajime saw Nagito turn around. He turned around nice and slow. Agonizingly slow. Way, way too slow, and suddenly his green eyes found Hajime’s. The model’s brows furrowed and his mouth parted slightly. Hajime cursed underneath his breath and all he could do now was answer the phone.

“Hi?” Hajime lowered his voice and drew out the ending to make his tone seem more perplexed, more different than Mister Bug. He wasn’t sure if it worked or if he lowered his voice a bit too much or–

“Hajime?”

“Um, Nagito!” Kazuichi and Chiaki’s eyes _bolted_ towards him just from that name alone. He stepped on Kazuichi’s shoe from underneath the table. The boy hissed. “You know this phone number? I found it lying on the ground so I’m wondering who it belongs to.”

“You took it?”

“Yeah,” Hajime felt Nagito’s analytical stare bore holes through him. “Guess I did.”

“You do realize that’s a burner phone, right?”

Hajime paused and took the phone away from his ear. He scanned the burner, furrowing his eyebrows in a pretend contemplation before he placed it back near his ear again. “Are… Is this… A drug dealer’s phone?” The boy internally screamed and punched himself in his imagination. Chiaki was sending him baffled looks already.

“No?” Nagito said. “You seem to reach a lot of conclusions, Hajime.”

“I didn’t mean to imply anything, sorry, I just said what came to mind and that was–”

“Me buying drugs? Nagito smiled. Sometimes it was difficult to determine whether Nagito was teasing him or being extremely passive-aggressive. “I’m surprised you would think of that, Hajime. That’s a humorous thought.”

“Humorous?”

“The Ultimate Model, hidden meth addict, and crackhead. I can see it now, in the headlines all across Paris,” Nagito waved his hand in the air like a manager speaking to his client.

“Wow,” Hajime chuckled. “You’d be the Ultimate Meth Addict then.”

“I wouldn’t look like the Ultimate Model anymore, would I?” Nagito gave his famous smile, the one on billboards and magazines. “Not being the Ultimate Model… That’d be nice.”

He hesitated as Nagito’s smile began to fade. “Nice–?”

“Well, Hajime. Feel free to use that phone however you’d like. I’m sure I can buy my friend another one. It’s no big deal.”

“Oh, um. You sure you don’t want it back?” Hajime asked. If Nagito didn’t take the phone, that meant Hajime had to buy another burner phone as Mister Bug. Nagito _did_ offer to buy one, but it’d make sense if Mister Bug had already bought one before ‘losing it.’ This was too complicated, handling two identities in his life was way too complicated.

“It’s perfectly fine. In fact, I think you’d become a great drug dealer with that burner phone!”

Hajime smiled. He wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or not, but he’ll damn well take it as one. “Thanks. I’ll, uh. See you in class?”

“See you in class, Hajime. Goodbye.”

The call ended with a loud couple of beeps before stopping and becoming quiet once again. Hajime lowered the phone from his ear and exhaled the breath he never knew he was holding. _That was one hell of a phone call._

“What the fuck was that?” Kazuichi laughed.

“The Ultimate Meth Addict lost his drug dealing phone. Hmm,” Chiaki hummed. “Are you sure you were talking to Nagito?”

“Yes, I was–y’know what? Let’s forget that phone call ever happened.” Hajime shoved the burner back into his bag and zipped it up. He could see Kazuichi grinning his toothy grin from across the table. Akane and Nekomaru looked a bit lost as he predicted they would be.

“Hey, if I hear about anyone in our class is doin’ meth I’m gonna talk some sense into them!” Nekomaru said in his chesty voice. He scrunched his hands into fists, determination emanating from his figure. Akane followed his lead, puffing out her chest before talking.

“Meth doesn’t smell that great,” Akane said. “At my old town, usually meth labs smell like cat piss! If anyone is takin’ that crap into their body then I’ll be there to stop them!” She smirked and picked up her fork, stabbing it into a piece of chicken. Sometimes Akane was known for oversharing her past. This was one of those times.

“That’s the spirit, Akane! Help out your classmates!” Nekomaru cheered.

“Hell yeah! I will!” She stuffed the food into her mouth and indulged herself. Like every day, Chiaki, Kazuichi, and Hajime watched their colorful personalities unfold. They were some of the loudest students in their class, yet that meant they were the most encouraging students of the class, in an odd sort of way. However they looked at it, Akane and Nekomaru were great cheerleaders.

“Well… Since you don’t want us to dwell on the phone call,” Chiaki fiddled with her phone until pictures of Mister Bug and Chat Noir slid onto the screen. “You should take a look at this.”

Hajime knew his friends were fans of Mister Bug and Chat Noir. He’d catch them whispering about them during class or discussing them after school. It wasn’t exactly a secret, so Chiaki sharing photos of the heroes to her friends was actually recommended by pretty much all of them. 

But these? Were these photos recommended by him? Were the _captions_ recommended to be shown to him? To Hajime Hinata?

Pictures of Mister Bug and Chat Noir eating ice cream on the bench near the Love Lock Bridge. There weren’t many people in the shot, but the main highlight was on the two heroes. Specifically, Mister Bug with his hand resting on Chat Noir’s shoulder. The way the camera shot the picture was absolutely… It was made to be _romantic._ _Way more than romantic!_ The cameraman must’ve taken the picture when Hajime was mid-blink because it looked like he was staring at Chat Noir with _half-lidded eyes of desire!_

Were they not heroes?! He wasn’t expecting his own paparazzi group for _fuck’s sake!_

The sickening photoshopped pink hearts! The filters! The caption of: “Mister Bug and Chat Noir possibly dating?” Kazuichi read. He held his fingers on his chin, arms leaning against the table as he hummed in thought. “I don’t know… They look like bros to me.”

“Hmm. What do you think, Hajime?” Chiaki asked.

Hajime didn’t respond for a solid ten seconds. He was going through all five stages of grief. “... Why.”

“I think these are just photos taken at the wrong time. Yep.”

“Me. Too. Yep,” Hajime articulated. “They aren’t even compatible.”

“Compatible?” Akane asked. “I totally think those boys are meant for each other. Look at the way they’re so synced up when they fight villains! Only lovers can be that synced. I dare ya to tell me two friends can do that!”

Hajime breathed through his nose. “Two friends can definitely–”

“Woah, woah, woah is that Mister Bug and Chat Noir?” 

_Oh god, it’s that same voice from yesterday._

“Hey, hey, Teruteru, weren’t you selling ice cream at the Love Lock Bridge yesterday?” Chiaki questioned. She slid her phone over to Teruteru who stood at the edge of the table, his empty plate in his hands. Beady eyes stared at the screen and a smile spread on his lips.

“Yeah, and you can all guess who I served.” Teruteru ran his hand through his greased up hair (or at least tried to) and winked seductively. “And what can I say? This story is correct in the end. Mister Bug and Chat Noir?” He paused for dramatic effect. Hajime could practically feel the other four’s anticipation. “They’re beautiful lovers with beautiful chemistry. Witnessed it with my own two eyes.”

“Alright, alright, now that just doesn’t make sense,” Kazuichi argued. “Why do you think they’re together when they haven’t done anything to show it? You’d expect a few kisses or somethin’ but they haven’t done none of that.”

Nekomaru folded his arms against his chest. “Maybe they’re just shy. Nothin’ wrong with being embarrassed by PTA.”

“Or maybe they have hardcore make-out sessions in the back of alleyways–”

“Jesus Christ, Teruteru, is that _all_ you think about?” Hajime blurted. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “You guys know these are real people right? It’s kind of weird to talk about them like… This.”

Teruteru smirked, his cheeks blushing more than usual. “I don’t see the problem. Nothing wrong with checking out a fine piece of tender, round–”

“Excuse me, sorry. I need to get to the counter–”

“Lumps!”

“L-lumps?” A girl from first-year said. If Hajime remembered correctly, her name was Aoi. “Gah! Don’t tell me I’m breaking out again…”

“Don’t worry, you look just fine, little lady,” Teruteru said, despite him being the shorter one. The boy waved goodbye from their table and went along the walkway, Aoi following behind. 

Hajime was glad that it was over. Or at least that Teruteru was gone because the topic was still flowing around their table. Chiaki was the first to speak. “Everyone is going on about this, even in my blog’s chat room. It’s obviously bad journalism but no one seems to care… It’s kind of annoying. The reason I made this blog was to talk about how cool Mister Bug was, not how…” Chiaki skimmed a comment on her phone, sighing. “How gay Mister Bug is for Chat Noir.”

“Stalking two boyfriends seems too damn irritating,” Nekomaru said.

“They’re not _boyfriends,_ they’re heroes,” Hajime rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me you actually believed Teruteru.”

 _“I_ totally believe him! I’m tellin’ you, the way they fight is how two lovers fight! Take it from me,” Akane confidently said, pointing at herself.

Hajime was talking to brick walls at this point. Damn Teruteru and his shitty antics. What did that guy even get out of lying about them? Hajime picked up his fork and dragged his food across his plate, his hand resting on his cheek.

“Why are you so worked up about this, Hajime? You jealous?” Kazuichi smirked, pointing his spoon at the brunet. The boy tried his best to hide his grimace as he took a bite out of his food. Hajime didn’t answer out of spite.

* * *

Nagito exited the front doors of Hope’s Peak Academy and walked down the narrow brick path. Lunch would be over in an hour and a half, so he had time to transform into Chat Noir. However, the most recent encounter was still on his mind. Would Mister Bug be careless enough to drop his burner phone? In fact, wasn’t Mister Bug able to take items out of his yo-yo? He must’ve accidentally dropped it while holding it in his hand which was still a weird circumstance to consider. Whatever happened, he was sure it could be explained the next time they met.

Sneaking behind some trees, Nagito called out Padeff and transformed into Chat Noir. He jumped with his staff and climbed up a building, getting to the top, and blocking the sun from his eyes using his hand. The city was bustling with life, people walking to cafes, cars driving down the roads. Everyone was out to get somewhere and so was Nagito. The boy jumped from building to building, peering down alleyways and hidden corners for any suspicious activity. Hawkmoth usually attacked around this time or near sundown, so basically, it appeared as if Hawkmoth was also a working person in society. That’s why they never attacked in the mornings or a few hours after lunch. 

However, that didn’t mean petty crimes never happened. Nagito has witnessed a few crimes as Chat Noir which were out of the ordinary. Once he ran into a nudist and he didn’t want to remember how that went. But, as the hero was traversing across rooftops, he found a person loitering around an alleyway. Their attire virtually yelled of suspicion.

The most notable features of the person were the scarf decorated with black and white squares, the white outfit they wore from the neck down, and the black cape flowing behind them. Their mask had a cartoonish art style of big red lips and a petite clown nose to hide their identity. The black cap on top of their jet-black hair matched with the rest of their attire. He had to admit that getup was somewhat fancy. Yet, on the other hand, this person looked suspicious and he had to take responsibility for whatever happened next. A part of Nagito wanted to see him cause a bit of havoc. But that wouldn’t be very heroic of him, would it?

Chat Noir jumped down and landed on a fire escape railing above the other. The guy didn’t seem to notice. His black cape fluttered with the gust of wind blowing between the two buildings. His fingers touched the bottom of his mask, seemingly lost in thought while searching the area outside of the alleyway. Nagito started to wonder if this guy could look any more suspicious. 

Chat Noir cleared his throat. The guy flinched and stepped away from the building’s wall. His mask turned upwards and Chat Noir smiled at him. “Do you mind if I ask you what you’re doing?”

The guy hesitated. Then he crossed his arms and spread his legs a bit farther apart to appear strong. He was short, so that didn’t exactly do him any good, in Nagito’s opinion. “Nee-hee-hee, I’m only scoping out the area.”

His voice sounded a bit young, so Nagito knew he wasn’t an adult, but a teen. Perhaps he was around his age. Chat Noir jumped down from the fire escape and landed in front of the boy. He kept his stance sturdy, but Nagito could only wonder what his face looked like from behind the mask. “Are you one of Hawkmoth’s allies?” Chat Noir held his clawed fingers in front of him, revealing his miraculous as he gestured his hand experimentally. 

The boy giggled as his shoulders shook. “Maybe I am? You should catch me and find out.”

As soon as he said that, the boy darted out of the alleyway and down the sidewalk, into the open. Chat Noir followed him but he didn’t expect this guy to be so _fast._ He was like a squirrel scurrying away from a dog or something, but with serious steroids. With such little legs, he could definitely run far. 

He took a right, then a left down a crosswalk during a busy green light. Horns blared and tires screeched right next to his ear. Chat Noir almost got a hold of his black cape once they made another turn into the shopping streets of Paris. The boy evaded people with ease, moving between the crowds of civilians like water. At this point, it was about time to get off the ground and up above. Chat Noir used his stick to ascend on top of the canopies hovering above the shop’s entryways, running and jumping from there. 

A couple of people yelped in surprise as the boy knocked their bags from their hands, expensive clothes and food spilling onto the ground. He almost slipped on a puddle as he turned into a store and knocked the doors open. Chat Noir jumped down and ran after him. Watches and suits lined the shelves and hung in pairs across the room. Shoppers stopped in their tracks and watched as the two sped between the clothes. The boy jumped over a glass counter, the accessories shaking on the inside. The cashier screamed and ducked while the boy jumped over the counter once more, bolting towards the exit.

Nagito ran around and leaped over hangers of suits. Only a couple of steps closer then he could reach out and grab his cape, just a few steps closer–

Chat Noir grabbed onto his cape right as his hand was about to push open the door. He was yanked backward, unaware of the sudden grip from behind. A beat passed as the boy panted inside of his mask. 

“Aww. You caught me!” He turned his head aside, his mask looking towards Chat Noir’s direction. “What are you gonna do next, huh? Arrest me?” He held out his hands and turned his wrists upwards.

“Well, I take it you’re not on Hawkmoth’s side,” Chat Noir sighed. He let go of the boy’s cape and shook his head. “How unfortunate. You only wasted my time.”

“Oh? Did I waste your time~? Maybe you wasted your own time…” The boy grabbed the bottom of his mask and lowered the object slightly to reveal his purple eyes. They squinted near the edges. “Maybe this was all a distraction.”

The boy placed his mask back and spread his arms wide, he was clearly enjoying this. He let out a maniacal laugh (one that _rivaled his own!_ ) and backed away towards the exit door. Chat Noir furrowed his brows at the change of events. “You wasted your time chasing after me while my henchmen caused destruction down the streets of Paris!”

Nagito could hear shoppers gasp and whisper to each other. They watched in apprehension. The boy let out another laugh, his shoes clacking against the marble floors beneath them. “Or maybe that was all a lie and I really _did_ waste your time?” He turned around and opened the large doors, exiting in a blink of an eye. 

Chat Noir ran outside and spotted the boy racing down another alleyway. Was it really worth going after him? The boy acted like a child, so he decided against it. Chat Noir took out his staff and extended it, his hands holding on while he landed on top of a building. Looking out, Nagito couldn’t see any form of discord throughout the streets, no one was running frantically and cars weren’t swerving down the roads.

That boy was a liar and Nagito had only wasted his time on him.

He sighed and rolled his shoulders back. Walking towards the edge of the building, he sat down and tapped his fingers against his knee. Nagito rested his elbow against his other knee and placed his chin in the palm of his hand. 

It would be cool if what that boy had said were true, though… He could watch despair play out in front of him, and after that, it was only a matter of time before the symbol of hope would arrive and save the day. Mister Bug would purify the Akuma. He would change everything back to normal. He would do all of this with the hope buried deep within him. 

With the hope buried deep within him…? _With the hope buried deep within him…_ That hope was powerful. Mister Bug’s hope was beautiful, it was breathtaking. It was very, very breathtaking. Nagito felt his cheeks warm up, warmth surrounding his heart deep inside of his chest. He lifted his hands and held onto his arms, a smile forming on his lips.

Nagito hasn’t felt like this before. 

Just the thought of the hero made him smile–

“Hey there, Chat Noir!” Nagito turned his head and saw the same boy from before standing in the middle of the rooftop, his black cape waving behind him from the soft breeze. He paused and heard the pedestrians from below converse with each other. Scattered honks from across the city echoed throughout and birds chirped from across the building roofs.

“How did you get up here?” He asked.

“You and Mister Bug aren’t the only ones with superpowers. I jumped up here,” the boy kicked his foot across the gravel with his arms behind his back. Chat Noir’s eyes widened. 

“Nee-hee-hee, that was a lie. I actually flew up here.”

“Eh?” Nagito said skeptically. He got up from the edge and approached the boy. He was a few inches shorter than himself, but the boy kept his chin held high despite that. Chat Noir gave his friendliest smile. 

A moment of silence filtered between the two. Chat Noir opened his eyes and saw that the boy hadn’t moved. The mask stared blankly at him. 

Nagito’s smile faded. He dropped the facade, frowned, and for once in his life, it felt _good_ to frown. To really _frown_. A worthless boy wasting his time in the back streets of Paris wasn’t what he signed up for today. 

“What exactly is a talentless kid like you trying to do?”

“T-talentless…?” The boy’s hands flew to his chest, his head lowering in defeat. A muffled sniffle could be heard from behind his mask. Immediately, he tilted his head up and began wailing like an idiotic baby, his cries echoing into the air. “I-I’m so…! Heart b-broken! Chat Noir, m-my idol… C-c-c-called me _TALENTLESS!”_ He dragged out the last word until he was out of breath.

Nagito scrunched his eyebrows in irritation. He held his head in his hand before brushing it through his white hair. “Stop crying. You’re not doing yourself any good.”

“And do you think you’re doing yourself any good as you lie to me, Chat Noir?” The boy did a one-eighty and shifted over to a mocking tone, dragging out the last of his name. He stopped crying completely as he straightened out his posture, hands resting behind his head. Nagito could hear the grin in his voice.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing. Maybe I just know some things I’m not meant to know…” The boy looked around like he was scanning the area for people despite being on a rooftop. He leaned in closer, his hand cupping around the mask’s mouth as if he were going to tell a secret.

“I’m lying. I don’t know anything,” the boy whispered.

“You’re wasting both our times, do you realize that?” Nagito said. He was about ready to leave the rooftop, his feet already turning his body around.

“Before you leave,” the boy blurted. “I want to thank you.”

“Thank me?” Nagito asked.

“For chasing me, of course! It was a fun game!” He leaned over, his hands shaped into fists near his chest as his body language looked more excited and intrigued. “I’m looking forward to playing again sometime, Chat Noir! Maybe next time I’ll put my miraculous to good use…”

Nagito turned his head, disbelief written all over his face. He was already taking out his staff to leave. “And what miraculous do you have?”

The boy didn’t say anything for a minute. Nagito waited for him to talk, but he lost interest and was beginning to angle his staff towards the ground. That was until the boy grabbed his mask and dragged it down, fully down, to uncover his face. Those familiar eyes were unmistakable to Nagito as they had to be–

“As the High School Level Ultimate Supreme Leader, you’d believe me if I said I have most of them, wouldn’t you?” Kokichi’s voice was mischievously low as a smile he’s never seen him wear screamed of disaster. The shorter boy’s fingers tapped the bottom of his chin, a glint in his dark eyes.

Nagito had never really started a conversation with Kokichi. Besides, he transferred to Hope’s Peak this school year and it had only just begun. He wasn’t exactly aware of Kokichi’s personality let alone of his motives in life, but with the title of Supreme Leader, Nagito knew he was up to no good. Especially because of the devilish glare he gave Chat Noir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg is kockitchy lying or not who knows.... i don't know cuz I don't know where I'm going with this lol
> 
> Tumblr, twitter, and insta @toxicpoopoo


	6. This wasn’t real, was it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> woohoo im back and i dont even know what this chapter is
> 
> btw, this story will have a storyline soon dw ahah : )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ya i make miraculous x danganronpa fanfiction. ya i am ashamed.
> 
> I've never been to Paris.

“As the High School Level Ultimate Supreme Leader, you’d believe me if I said I have most of the Miraculouses, wouldn’t you?”

The possibility that Kokichi was lying was high. Despite this, Nagito felt his stomach drop. He only thought there were only three Miraculouses: Mister Bug’s, Chat Noir’s, and Hawkmoth’s. Could Kokichi actually be telling the truth? Dwelling on the idea of multiple Miraculouses has crossed his mind a few times, yet he never thought of asking Padeff. He didn’t think there was any need to do so.

“Name the Miraculouses,” Nagito sighed. He kept his tone steady and casual, yet with a hint of hostility.

Kokichi rested his arms on the back of his head, his lips twisting into a friendly smile. “That was a lie! But your name being Nagito Komaeda isn’t! You’re the Ultimate Model!” Kokichi singsonged. Nagito’s heart leaped in his throat causing him to trip over his feet. After steadying himself, he turned his head towards the boy with his green eyes wide open. “Maybe you can even be called the Ultimate Superhero? But I’m sure being in that form for a while would be tiring, especially inside of Hope’s Peak Academy. You  _ are _ the Ultimate Model as well. Man, your double life sure does sound exhausting.”

“What do you plan on doing with this information…?” Nagito hastily asked. There had to be some type of plan Kokichi was brewing that involved Chat Noir’s identity. Blackmail, revenge, fame, any one of them were on the table. Nagito analyzed the boy in front of him. His face appeared calm and collected like Kokichi knew Nagito’s answer. “How do you know?”

“I know because  _ you guys are horrible _ at transforming in secret. You practically transformed behind a trash can, y’know. Now that’s just lazy. It’s like you wanna be caught.” He only transformed behind a trash can because he was in a hurry. Nagito wasn’t usually that careless, was he?

“‘You guys?’” Nagito repeated his words. “Do you also know Mister Bug’s identity too?”

“Oh, that’s a secret!” Kokichi placed his finger against his lips. “But when you tell Mister Bug about the pile of dog shit you find yourself in, tell the guy that I also know a few things about him too.” The smirk across Kokichi’s face twitched into an even wider grin. Nagito could feel the disaster radiating off of that smirk.

“I want you to bring Mister Bug and yourself over to the Eiffel Tower. Someone I know is Akumatized and if you interfere with their actions, I’ll let the whole world know about your secrets. Got it?”

“We can’t do that. Once he gets our Miraculouses, our identities will be known either way.” Nagito claimed. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared the other boy down. “What’s the point in listening to you when this will end in the same way. There has to be more to your plan.”

“Wow, you sure are smart! Well, the twist is that you have to leave us alone for around thirty minutes to an hour, something like that. You’ll know when you can jump in, Nagito.”

_ I guess I’ll have to be late for class, then…  _ “Fine,” he snapped. Kokichi waved and was already walking away. Nagito took out his staff and headed towards the edge. He could hear Kokichi’s footsteps cross the gravel rooftop before it blended in with the rest of the atmosphere. Nagito shook his head and jumped.

Being blackmailed into allowing an Akumatized person rampage for around an hour didn’t sit well with Nagito, despite the hope it could bring. He wasn’t exactly fond of Kokichi for planning all of this out, either. Wasting his time, toying with him, and then blackmailing Mister Bug and himself, it was all so bothersome. Especially because he was slowing down Mister Bug’s process of installing hope into other people. 

Nagito cursed underneath his breath. He supposed despair was necessary before hope was to bloom.

It didn’t take long before Nagito found Mister Bug swinging between buildings. Calling out his name, the two of them landed on top of the nearest balcony, Chat Noir balancing on the black railings. Mister Bug reeled in his yo-yo and placed one hand on his hip. 

“What’s up?”

“I’m afraid a lot of things are up, Mister Bug,” Nagito sighed, his eyes downcast. He saw Mister Bug shift in place. “While I was on watch, I came across an Ultimate, one from Hope’s Peak Academy. They were the Ultimate Supreme Leader and it seems they have, erm. Blackmail against us…”

Mister Bug went through the same shock as Nagito did upon receiving this information. His lips parted slightly and his brows furrowed. The hero opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it soon after. It took a few minutes until he could put his thoughts into words, his face a mix of skepticism and concern. “What kind of blackmail?”

“Our identities. He saw us transform,” Nagito said apologetically. “I’m such a careless person for allowing my identity to be exposed like this. There’s no need to forgive trash like me for this mistake–”

“No, no, this is on both of us, shut up,” Mister Bug interrupted. Nagito automatically shut his mouth. “Who knows how many other people know of our identities… Did he tell you both of our names?”

“Well, he only told me of my own name. I don’t know yours, but I’m certain he knows who you are as well.”

“Shit…” Mister Bug placed his thumb against his chin and studied the balcony’s floor in thought. “Do you know the guy’s name?”

“He said his name was Kokichi Ouma.” Kokichi didn’t outright tell Nagito his own name, but telling Mister Bug didn’t seem like it’d hurt. “There’s more to this, by the way. Apparently, Kokichi knows someone who is Akumatized at this moment and he plans on using their power to create fear or authority for his own gain.”

“And we might have a good idea on what that might look like if it’s coming from the Ultimate Supreme Leader,” Hajime bit his lip. “What else?”

Nagito filled him in on the other pieces of info before they set off towards the Eiffel Tower. The rampant thoughts in the back of his mind repeated the feelings of worthlessness due to being so sloppy with his transformations. It was just his bad luck that got them both into these messes, it was all Nagito’s fault. If only this bad luck streak could end already because just thinking about the reward of good luck coming his way made him all giddy.

Mister Bug was the first to land on a pillar inside of the tower’s framework. Chat Noir followed suit and, together, they had a good view of Kokichi with his partner in crime. The person in question was wearing a black hat with three stripes along the sides, Nagito recognizing the hat belonging to Shuichi, a boy in the grade above his. However, Kokichi was probably the most unusual in this situation as he was being held in the air with white stripes stemming from Shuichi’s belt. They weaved together on their own to create a flat platform for Kokichi to stand on. 

The belt connected to the individual stripes wrapped above Shuichi’s baggy black pants. Below them were heavy black combat boots with designs of white stripes like his hat. Shuichi’s sleeveless shirt was also black with a tall popped-open white-collar framing his face. Smaller stripes started from the collar and traversed downward towards the shirt’s hem, it was a bit complementary to his real attire. Although, his arms had stripes looping down towards his hands as they wrapped around Shuichi’s knuckles like makeshift boxing wraps.

Kokichi seemed relaxed as he stood high upon Shuichi’s platform. Gusts of wind blew the edges of his white clothes around, especially his cape and its fluttering cloth. A grandeur aura held Kokichi’s head high while he spoke down to the people, and while he watched them with authority, every one of them watched the boy with uneasiness. It was a sight to see, a scene of a powerful unjust rule scoffing at its worthless underlings.

“I, the Ultimate Supreme Leader Kokichi Ouma, work Paris’ politicians like marionette puppets! I can alter the way every single one of you insignificant pigs lives their daily life with a simple request!” Despite hiding behind Kokichi’s back, Nagito managed to see a wicked grin spread across his face as the boy stared at the growing crowds of people. “It’d be a shame if you didn’t listen to me, I’m the best at what I do! Besides, Hawkmoth Akumatized this puppet for a reason!” The boy laughed as he stomped his foot down on the striped platform referring to Shuichi.

Now that was new. Was it really possible for Kokichi to have ties with Hawkmoth? He and Mister Bug didn’t even know Hawkmoth’s gender, they were such a mystery at the moment. Kokichi could be Hawkmoth, but allowing people to acknowledge his possible ties with the villain was careless at best… 

Mister Bug appeared captivated by Kokichi’s speech. Either that or he was putting together a plan. “Do you think he’s telling the full truth?” Nagito asked.

The other hero tapped his fingers on a metallic beam in thought before he spoke. “In all honesty? I can’t be sure. But there has to be a reason why Kokichi can use Sh–the Akumatized guy without getting hurt. I bet they have some sort of connection.”

“You’re so smart, Mister Bug,” Nagito smiled. “Whatever you think of, I’m positive it’ll be right.”

“You’re putting too much faith in me, y’know.” Mister Bug grunted.

Twenty minutes passed and there were already numbers of people listening to Kokichi’s speech. Every minute that passed by made Nagito enthralled by what the boy had to say. It was all so believable, and at times, he actually thought Kokichi ruled the country from behind the scenes, which was pretty impressive. The Ultimate Supreme Leader was… Exactly as his title labeled him as. At least, that’s what he thought.

News vans circled around the groups of people and phones were out and recording. This was definitely a big head title for the news and a good source for talk in the next upcoming days. Nagito figured that his background and his label were good enough for people to believe what he was saying. Hope’s Peak  _ was _ the best in the nation if not, the world. And the fact that Kokichi  _ could _ be telling a few truths made Nagito excited. Someone who could wreak havoc could have the chance of spreading despair, leading to a resurgence of hope. 

“You’re doing the thing again,” Mister Bug interrupted his thoughts.

“Eh?”

“You’re doing that creepy thing. Stop.”

“Ah,” Nagito said. “Sorry, it’s only natural for someone like me to be such a–”

“And you’re doing  _ that _ thing again. Stop that, it gets annoying,” Mister Bug stood up and stared at the scene in front of them. “I think Kokichi’s leaving. He said that we’d know when to jump in, right?”

“That’s correct,” Nagito followed his actions and stood up as well. Kokichi was being lowered by Shuichi’s platform away from the crowds of people. Once his feet touched the ground, he bolted behind a building and was away from sight in the blink of an eye. It appeared this was the chance Kokichi was speaking of. 

Below the Eiffel Tower stood Shuichi and his whip-like stripes untangling themselves and reeling back into his belt. Nagito wasn’t sure about the texture of the whips, at first he thought they were paper, but they were too smooth to even belong in that category. The material looked more like fabric than anything else, but that still didn’t sit well with him. Whatever it was, it had to be connected to the item in which the Akuma hid inside. 

“You ready?” Mister Bug asked, his eyes trained on Shuichi before staring at the other for approval. Nagito nodded his head, rolling his shoulders back and exhaling. “Alright, we’ll jump in like we just saw this going down. After that, you know what to do.”

Mister Bug chucked the yo-yo’s wire at a metal beam before leaping along with the momentum. Nagito expanded his staff and jumped after him. The crowds of civilians appeared larger from underneath the Eiffel Tower as the hero approached the ground. Once their feet touched the cement after maneuvering around the structure, Shuichi’s head turned towards their direction with a grin, his eyes lighting up. The white whips began to manipulate its form, going on the defense and creating a makeshift shield near his body.

“Woah, Mister Bug and Chat Noir… If you hand over your Miraculouses this won’t be as hard as you think,” the boy said. He spread his legs slightly and stared down the two heroes in front of him, not with hostility, but with heightened interest. Nagito tried to scan Shuichi’s clothes which were rather plain compared to all of the other Akumatized victims they fought in the past. It wasn’t flashy, nor did it have any accessories besides his usual hat. The clothes stood out to him, too, it was somewhat odd.

“Yeah,” Hajime started. “That’s not gonna happen.” Shuichi extended the whips as they struck at the heroes like a snake. Chat Noir jumped back and almost tripped over his feet. The crowd surrounding them dispersed immediately right after Shuichi’s first move, magnets repelling off one another. From the corner of his eye, he saw Mister Bug swing his yo-yo around, a red blur in action.

“Should we distract him, Mister Bug?”

“You read my mind,” the hero replied. “Try getting the whips to extend farther away from his belt for an opening.”

Nagito jumped onto the side of the Eiffel Tower and leaped behind Shuichi. Using his staff, he expanded it and poked the boy across from him. He did it a bit harshly, admittedly, but it got his attention. “Hey! Over here!” Nagito called. Shuichi looked at him before shooting the whips at lightning speed. He couldn’t see them strike at his body until they wrapped around him tightly. Squirming in the strained grip, Nagito tried to move his arms, yet they wouldn’t budge whatsoever.  _ This was bad  _ and _ uncomfortable. _

“You wouldn’t lie to me… Would you?” Shuichi desperately asked. Nagito was about to retort before he felt the back of his throat tingle. Words bubbled and formed until they released from his mouth.

“I-I lie all the time!” He blurted. The look on Shuichi’s face morphed into one of hurt as soon as those words reached his ears. Nagito felt the whips which spiraled down his body tighten, shortening his breaths and boring into his ribcage.

“I wonder. Uh, what’s your secret iden–” Mister Bug’s yo-yo tangled around Shuichi’s body and swung him to the ground, stopping him from talking. Chat Noir was pulled along with the whips as his hip crashed with the cement. Luckily, their hold began to dissipate and he was able to wiggle out of them with a pained scowl on his face.

“Ergh,” Nagito groaned. “Don’t let the whips touch you, they make you tell the truth, Mister Bug!”

“Gotcha!” The other hero’s yo-yo untangled itself from Shuichi. The whips attached to his belt began to reel back in as quickly as they snapped out. Just from that alone, Nagito knew this would be a tough enemy to take down. Mister Bug hurled the yo-yo once again, snagging Shuichi’s arm and pulling him across the ground.

However, to both of their surprise, the whips spiraling down Shuichi’s arms extended and threw itself onto the yo-yo’s wire. It snapped the wire towards him and yanked Mister Bug’s arm along with it. Nagito expanded his staff and swung it like a baseball bat, hitting the whip and releasing its grip on the yo-yo. Mister Bug steadied himself in mid-air and landed next to Nagito, his yo-yo reeling the wire back in with a zip.

“This will be harder than I thought…” Nagito sighed. Mister Bug huffed and analyzed Shuichi once more, his brow furrowing in thought. Shuichi rolled his arms back and turned to face the two heroes, an excited grin on his lips.

“If the whips are able to extend from his belt  _ and _ from his arms,” Mister Bug mumbled, “does that mean it’s connected to something other than his belt strap?”

Nagito hummed. “Something that’s being hidden from beneath his clothes… His hat, perhaps? His collar is really high and it might be hiding whenever the whips extend from it.”

“We can try that, but first we have to get passed the whips.” Mister Bug took one last look at Shuichi before stepping back. Swinging his yo-yo, he jumped onto the Eiffel Tower’s structure and hid behind a few beams. The familiar ring of the Lucky Charm filled the atmosphere for only a second before the usual city sounds dominated once again. Shuichi focused on Chat Noir, giving up on Mister Bug for a minute as the other hero did as he pleased.

Nagito vaulted over Shuichi and ran towards a shop encompassing one of the Eiffel Tower’s legs as a distraction. He felt one of the whips strike right near his shoulder, wind pressure snapping by his ear. The canopy from above trembled with multiple objects pressing down on it, and once Nagito took a glance up, Shuichi looked down from the roof of the canopy, with a smile. The boy stopped in place and tried to run back, but the whips had already wrapped around him like before.  _ It was such a pain! _

Shuichi gently landed on the ground thanks to the whips aiding his descent. That must’ve been how he was able to outrun Nagito, those annoying whips were able to quickly transport him anywhere. His thoughts stopped in place when those same whips dug into his chest and back with a tense hold. It was harder to breathe compared to before.

“I’ve been a big fan of you and Mister Bug, so it pains me to do this. It’s what Hawkmoth wants,” Shuichi reluctantly said. The smile he had was now turned into a frown. Shuichi covered his lips with his hand in a nervous gesture, his eyes flicking back and forth between the ground and Nagito’s eyes. “But… It wouldn’t hurt to ask a few questions of my own.”

Nagito watched apprehensively, the Ultimate Detective, now Akumatized, muttered to himself about the many questions he could ask Chat Noir. Maybe in this form, Shuichi’s personality was amplified by a bit? Usually, Akumatized victims had a narrow view of things, they were close-minded and only cared about one thing. Why was Shuichi so akin to his usual self at the moment? Hawkmoth probably didn’t have much time to put attention into his personality nor his clothes. Maybe thinking about a different and new way to hide the Akuma and how it would function was more constraining than going with their usual flow. It  _ was _ a change of pace, one that made Nagito excited for the upcoming villains Hawkmoth would create.

“Everyone’s been talking about you guys. Even me!” Shuichi said, blushing softly. “I’ve been wondering for a while–and I’m sorry if I’m being a bit too intrusive, but are you guys really… Y’know, a thing?”

“No,” Chat Noir choked out.

“Ah. Do you guys know each other out of being heroes?”

Nagito furrowed his brows as the whips tightened around his body more. “I… D-don’t know?” He hacked out.

“So that means you’re unaware of each other’s identities. That’s interesting,” he mused with a smirk. “And I’m sorry for making you go through with this. I really don’t want to hurt you. But, anyway, how were you able to really become Chat Noir?”

Nagito clenched his teeth and blocked the words from flooding out of his mouth. Squirming in place, he tried his best to get out of his reach, but to no avail. What was taking Mister Bug so long? Was it okay to use cataclysm at this point? Nagito grunted every time the words climbed up his throat. They sat there like fireworks, agitating his tongue and clawing at the insides of his teeth for a way out.

“I–I… Cata… Ta–” He struggled to spill his thoughts with other words forcing themselves out. It felt like he had two vocal cords battling each other for the high ground.

“You shouldn’t fight it,” Shuichi advised. “It’s only going to hurt you and I’ll feel really bad about that…”

Nagito’s feet toed the ground as his body was beginning to lift gradually. His breathing was so constricted he was sure any more pressure would break his bones in half. Stars were gathering near the edges of his vision, but it was a shame that his focus was diminishing. Words Nagito couldn’t make out went through one ear and out the other. 

_ Huh.  _

Maybe he would die today? Oh, wow, this hero business was quite short-lived. Just like his childhood dog. He could see him prancing around the backyard. 

Aww, how cute.

* * *

Hajime stared at the heavy stone in his hands with the most confusion he had ever felt in his life. As he scanned the area, nothing came to mind. The beams building the structure didn’t stand out and neither did the people staring down at him from the second floor of the tower. A moment passed until he gave up and swung his yo-yo onto a bar, jumping towards Chat Noir’s and Shuichi’s commotion. Maybe it would come up later? His feet landed with a clunk from the metal beneath him. The civilians’ footsteps and chatters above blended in with the gusts of winds leaking between the structure’s skeleton. Hajime maneuvered through a couple of beams until something appeared from the ground.

Despite his hat blocking the sun, Hajime could still see Shuichi’s anxious yet concentrated face. The whips around Chat Noir’s body seemed to crush him agonizingly. He couldn’t see the front of Chat Noir, but he knew the hero was in pain, and maybe he was feeling something more fatal than that. It made Hajime’s stomach drop and blood pump with newfound adrenaline. This was different, this wasn’t what they usually dealt with,  _ this was more malevolent. _

Without thinking, Hajime threw the stone at Shuichi.

And what happened next came in this order:

The stone flew at Shuichi with more speed than Hajime intended. It grazed the hat’s brim and blew it off his head, breaking it in two. The boy stumbled a bit and the grip of his whips loosened around Chat Noir, the hero falling to the ground and coughing violently.

The stone bounced off the cement without breaking, to Hajime’s surprise, and shot towards a moving bus. It dented the metal and bounced right off, right back to Shuichi.

While Shuichi’s whips were retracting back into his belt, the stone collided with one of them. As the whip was moving in mid-air, it had accidentally cradled the stone and flung it towards the Eiffel Tower. 

As it hurdled through the air, Hajime could hear the stone hit a wall, and then maybe a railing, before a couple of screams introduced themselves. Some shouted “no!” Some screamed with a high-pitched shriek. While that occurred, the stone fell from the tall height and–

Hajime couldn’t move when a body fell right into his hands. He froze in place. He was already frozen in place, to begin with, but… 

He looked down and saw a frightened middle-aged man stare right back at him with the same shock he felt. The man wore a tuxedo, wrinkled thanks to Hajime’s touch, and his chest was breathing with intensity. 

“Y-you saved me…” The man breathlessly said, not moving from the position in his arms. “T-thank you so much! M-Mister Bug, I have to give you something in return!”

“… Yeah… You do that…” Hajime replied in a daze. Stepping to the edge, he swung his yo-yo and leaped down towards Chat Noir and Shuichi with the man in his hands. Cautiously, and very, very slowly, Hajime placed him down on the ground. He didn’t even put the man on his own two feet, he just placed him down like a baby back into their crib.

Hajime wasn’t in the right mind at the moment. In fact, he was somewhat in his own mind to be more exact. Watching the stone precisely hit all of the components in order from breaking the Akumatized item, stoping Chat Noir from dying, bouncing from a bus and through flailing whips, and somehow breaking a railing and making a man fall from 200 feet in the air and straight into his arms was mind-numbing, to say the least. This wasn’t real, was it?

Hajime didn’t pay any attention to Chat Noir and Shuichi as he captured the Akuma and shakily exhaled. It flew out of his yo-yo like a carefree and elegant creature, to Hajime’s jealousy, and disappeared from sight. Now it was time to face the more difficult problems. The boy turned around and tried to find the Lucky Charm which fell from above. With a few glances around the area, Hajime saw a canopy connected to a small shop where Chat Noir sat in front of. He walked to the entrance and, lo and behold… 

The stone had landed dead center in the middle of the counter. The light coming through from the hole in the roof shined a spotlight on it like some type of sightseeing display. Souvenirs and magazines placed out for tourists were completely avoided by the stone’s destruction as it had shot a hole through the counter’s surface. And right behind the indent was a sign.

_ Have a great day and good luck! _

Hajime was too dazed to process those words. Reaching out, he grabbed the stone and tossed it into the air, narrowly missing the canopy above him. “Miraculous Mister Bug!” He shouted. Butterflies invaded his vision before the white and red disappeared, replaced with the familiar scenery of the street and Chat Noir, sitting down in front of him.

Chat Noir smiled. He smiled before a coughing fit shook his body, but he kept smiling when it finally ended like a fizzling spark. The hero got on one knee and pushed his body up to stand. As he steadily approached Hajime, the canopy’s shade encompassed his face down as the light graced the ends of his white hair. He kept on smiling.

He was definitely smiling when he had suddenly broken out into a cackling mess. Chat Noir’s shoulders shook and his wheezes seemed to rattle his lungs while his arms hugged his body for something to steady himself. Hajime could only stare at the scene unfolding before him.

“T-talk about,” he snorted and took a deep, painful breath. “–ab-bout good l-luck!”

Hajime parted his lips.

“D-do you believe me, M-Mister Bug? My good luck?” Chat Noir let out a few seconds of boisterous, maniacal laughter. “I-it seems my bad luck streak h-has come to an end! Who would’ve thought I w-would’ve been on the brink of death for it to p-pay off–”

“Mister Bug, Chat Noir!” The man called. Hajime turned around and saw him moving closer, his hands smoothing out his attire. Chat Noir attempted to calm his laughing which wasn’t working at all, but despite this, and despite the man’s apprehensive look, he continued to speak. “I have to pay you back for saving my life! The stone that villain had thrown at me ended up breaking the railing I was leaning against and made me fall off. So, I want to allow you to eat free at Le Jules Verne for life. I-I’m the owner and it’s the least I can do for you two.”

“Le Jules Vernes,” Hajime muttered. “For… For free?”

“Y-yes, that’s correct. For life,” the man repeated.

“F-for f-f-free!” Chat Noir chortled. “For life! M-my good luck is truly a-amazing.”

The man took a hesitant glance at Chat Noir. He looked back at Hajime with concern in his eyes. “Is he alright?”

“His oxygen… Is bad,” Hajime slowly said.

“Ah, yes, yes, from the whips.”

“Yeah. The whips. Kept the oxygen from his brain. Y’know?”

“Does he, erm, need any help?”

“N-no, he’s perfectly fine.”

Chat Noir collapsed on the ground and clutched his chest. At this point, he was unable to vocally laugh as it all came out in wheezes and gasps. Soon enough, the boy lifted his head, tears running down his cheeks as he choked out, “I-I’m–I’m o-okay!”

The man nodded his head, unconvinced. Nervously, he nodded at Hajime as well, smiling and turning around to head back up the Eiffel Tower with a short goodbye. Chat Noir’s laughter began to die down for him to speak appropriately after a bit – thank God – and he finally stood up on wobbling legs, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“I’m… I’m okay n-now,” Chat Noir stuttered. “We should check up on the other guy, M-Mister Bug.”

Oh. How could he forget?  _ No, seriously, _ how could he forget? He forgot about Shuichi once that conversation with the man ever began. It felt like his senses were starting to kick back into gear, the fog disappearing from his head. On the ground was Shuichi, his hands running through his black hair and a few sighs escaping his lips. Hajime crouched down and tapped his knee, now covered with his usual black pants instead of the baggy ones his Akumatized version wore.

“Hey, how are you doing?” Hajime asked. Shuichi looked at him in befuddlement. He placed his hands on his knees and out of his hair.

“W-why am I here?”

“You were Akumatized, but you’re safe now, there’s no need to worry,” he consoled. “Do you think you can get up?”

Shuichi’s eyes had a determined glint in them once he said that. The boy placed his hands on the ground and tried to stand up. Once he was on his feet, Hajime gave him a smile and a pat on the back.

“This is so weird… The last thing I remember was being with Kokichi and…” He trailed off. Shuichi furrowed his brows and examined the ground in puzzlement. “Do you by chance know where my hat is?” Chat Noir held out the cap and Shuichi took it from his hands, giving him a small thanks in return. Placing it back on his head, his lips twitched into an anxious smile and his eyes flicked to Chat Noir and Mister Bug in a nervous habit, unable to hold any sort of long eye contact. “Ah, that’s right. Kokichi and I were talking about our rela–”

Shuichi snapped his jaw shut and blushed. “Sorry, that kinda slipped out, you don’t really need to hear about my personal life,” he quickly laughed.

_Shuichi and… And Kokichi? I mean, I never would’ve expected that, but that’s certainly an odd pairing._ It’s really weird considering the fact that Kokichi was taking advantage of Shuichi’s Akumatized self, but it was better not to pry. “Uh, it’s fine. Usually, after Akumatization, people are not in their rights minds yet. You’ll be safe, though, yeah?”

“Yeah, I’ll try to,” Shuichi said. “And I’m sorry for getting in your way today, I never expected to be Akumatized.”

“Don’t mention it,” Hajime smiled. He looked at Chat Noir as a gesture for them to leave, and Chat Noir gave his usual smile back. 


	7. It was like a painting you’d find in a museum, but maybe that was going too far.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> im sure some of yall might be confused on nagitos characterization. because he is a model, he knows how to keep his reputation on the good side and to not go on tangents about his hope n shit lol. because of this, he knows more about social queues and knows how to bite his tongue whenever he desires to talk about his obsessions whenever outside of being chat noir.
> 
> anyway these bitches go on a date, but iT ISNT A DATE. they just eating together.... ok?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more nagito pov coming soon dw
> 
> btw i added a few more additions to nagitos luck cuz i thought itd spice up the story more: aka bad luck streaks

_ xD chat noir laughing is the CUTEST THING!!!! _

_ Tf is he laughing at _

_ Chat noir must be getting a kick out of fighting villains LOL _

_ step on me kitty _

Hajime stared at his yo-yo’s screen in a twisted form of confusion and disgust. There were videos of Chat Noir laughing his ass off after his ‘bad luck streak’ finally ended. He figured that people who’ve seen these videos probably had no idea that was the case, and instead, thought he was laughing just for the hell of it. Only he and Chat Noir knew the truth, and the truth was possibly a bit more disturbing than the ‘laughing from the recent adrenaline rush’ belief which the internet seemed crazed over. 

Seeing Chat Noir laugh over and over again on Chiaki’s Mister Bug website didn’t sit well with him. In fact, it made Hajime feel like he had to do something to help the boy. He really wanted to help him. But, ever since witnessing Chat Noir’s luck with  _ his own eyes,  _ how crazy and powerful it was, Hajime wasn’t sure how to help him. He supposed it was up to time in order to give him some ideas. The first goal was to learn more about the other hero, so today would be a great time to get some ideas.

Hajime waited for the black speck ascending up the Eiffel Tower to gain shape and jump onto the second-floor railings. By now, the closed-lipped smile spread across Chat Noir’s face held a familiar emptiness Hajime was used to. The brunet slid his yo-yo into his belt and smiled back.

“To think my luck would allow me to eat dinner with you at Le Jules Vernes,” Chat Noir said as he stepped down from the railing and onto the metallic floor. “For free, too. I’m so grateful!”

“Uh, yeah. I’m grateful too,” Hajime said. The whole concept of this was still processing in his mind despite everything that had happened. The reason why they were here in the first place was due to Chat Noir’s luck, so one would expect Hajime to understand it after all this time. The thing was, he didn’t understand anything about it. Not only was luck on his mind, but the sole starter of all of this was on his mind as well: Hawkmoth.

As the two heroes maneuvered their way towards the restaurant, the image of Shuichi and Chat Noir imprinted itself into his thoughts. No Akumatized person would’ve gone as far as to nearly kill a man, let alone do as much damage as they did onto Chat Noir. Was Hawkmoth going to extreme measures now? There was something fishy going on and Hajime wasn’t ready to face it just yet. To be honest, he was too scared to even piece parts of it together.

Hajime pulled open the door and caught Chat Noir off guard. The boy stood still and looked at Hajime with confusion before the situation settled in his mind. “Ah! I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting you to hold open the door for me.”

“Well, I’m holding the door open…” Hajime trailed off.

“Y-yes, I’ll keep going,” Chat Noir walked inside, Hajime following behind with his eyebrow raised. The insides of the restaurant reminded the brunet of something heavenly from the white walls, floors, and ceiling. The highlights of gold that painted the chairs and tables reflected the blue sky from outside the large windows. The few beams of the Eiffel Tower zigzagged across the borders of those windows as the layout of Paris resided passed them. 

This restaurant spoke of elegance and high class just from the looks of it, but so did the customers. They either wore expensive suits or dresses which heavily butted against Mister Bug’s and Chat Noir’s attire, not that any other place would make their clothes fit in (excluding those nerdy conventions, that is).

The two heroes stood in the waiting area and it wasn’t long before they started to get looks and unwanted attention. Chat Noir looked nervous as he shifted in place, covering his chest as he crossed his arms. A woman at the front, most likely a worker, approached them with a curious expression.

“Hello, Mister Bug, Chat Noir,” she greeted, her curly brown hair bouncing with every move she made. It was obvious she was trying to keep her excitement down and remain professional. “I suppose you two are here for the free meal? Come with me, I’ll take you to a more private setting.”

“Thank you,” Chat Noir quickly said before they followed her through the restaurant. They didn’t head down the aisles with most of the people, instead, they went the opposite way, heading towards the back of the restaurant. Once walking through a short hallway, they entered a small and refined room with a table located next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. The decor was beautiful with a mini chandelier hanging in the middle of the room, plants lining along the walls, and a golden carpet surrounding the table.

“Oh, wow,” Hajime could only say. He went up to the table and sat down. The light shining in casted shadows from the Eiffel Tower’s beams onto the gold and white floors. “Thanks.”

“I’ll check up on you two soon when you’ve made up your order. Please, take your time. Thank you.” The waitress went on her way and disappeared past the hallway. Music from the quiet speakers hummed in the background.

“I haven’t been here in such a long time,” Chat Noir started. His white hair swayed as he glanced around the room. “Not in this room, that is. But when I was younger, I remember this place faintly.”

“You went here? How was it?”

“Well, one of my family members wasn’t too fond of the food, but I beg to differ,” the boy smiled. “I had the steak and my… Mom had the crab I believe. I can’t remember what my dad had, but we all thought it was fantastic.”

“That’s good to hear. It must’ve been a special occasion if you came here then.”

“Mm. I didn’t spend lots of time with my parents, so going out with them was nice.” Hajime decided it was better not to dive into that subject no matter how tempting it was. The brunet picked up the menu and scanned over the entrees and beverages, picking out the most appealing and placing the menu back down. 

Across from him, Chat Noir had already finished picking out his meal. The boy had his chin in the palm of his hand as he relaxed his weight down on it. His emerald eyes stared out the windows, the metallic beams casting a shadow on half of his face. White hair glowed with luminosity while his black ears and mask reflected the blue from the Saturday’s sky above. His figure was a nice contrast to the white and gold decorations, in Hajime’s opinion, and if he were to be blunt, it was kind of calming to look at. It was like a painting you’d find in a museum, but maybe that was going too far. 

“What are you getting?” Chat Noir asked as he turned his head towards the brunet.

“Steak. You?” Hajime answered. Chat Noir’s eyes widened for a second before he regained his calm composure.

“You don’t have to base your decisions on my past experiences, Mister Bug,” the boy waved his hands gingerly. “I know you might feel inclined to do so, but feel free to branch out and try other things.”

Hajime pursed his lips into a straight line and breathed out through his nose. “I got the steak because I wanted the steak.”

“Oh, that might be the case too…” Chat Noir trailed off.

“Why do you always have to be so degrading towards yourself? It’s concerning.”

“Concerning? I’m sorry I had to worry you so much, I’m not worth worrying about. I only think it’s important to remind you, though. It’s irresponsible to keep you from knowing about how disgusting I am when my luck affects you horribly at times. 

“Do you remind everyone even outside of being… Y’know, Chat Noir?”

“Ah, no. Which makes it even worse. I can’t even remind people because I know it will hurt my reputation.” The boy gave a melancholic smile, hard to catch, but after seeing it so prevalently it was easy to point out. “I suppose I’m pretty normal and boring outside of this. Hah, but compared to me now, being boring is probably better.”

Hajime could try and refute Chat Noir, but he was sure they would be shot down by his self-deprecating comments. The brunet looked out the window as the restaurant’s music dominated most of the atmosphere for a moment. “Your luck. I–I guess I’m still processing it.”

“It tends to have that effect on people,” Chat Noir said.

“You were saying how your bad luck streak is over. What does that mean?”

“It means what it is, a bad luck streak. Normally, my luck makes it so whenever something bad happens to me, something good will happen. It’s the same when turned around as well, but for a bad luck streak, it’s more one-sided,” Chat Noir sat back in his chair as he explained, his lips twisting into a smile. “So many bad things happen to me with barely any time for something good to happen in return. And usually, the bad streak ends when something very bad happens, hence me almost dying. I can have good luck streaks too, but I suppose those are more… Rare.”

The look on Chat Noir’s face was really strange. It was a mixture of hazy giddiness and excitement. It seemed as if he was looking forward to his good luck, like,  _ really _ looking forward to it. Was this face something he should be looking at…?

“Erm, what happens during your good luck?” He asked hesitantly.

Chat Noir chuckled. “Hope, of course. Sometimes my luck comes as bad luck, but it only leads to greater causes. There’s no point in even labeling it as bad luck because it ends in something so wonderful. Maybe my luck caused someone to die and their relative is heartbroken, but it only paves the way to a path filled with everlasting hope! The despair they faced, it’s an obstacle that leads them in their future, drives them with determination. It’s utterly amazing.”

Hajime paused and tried to comprehend what the hell he just said.  _ Good luck as bad luck, the hope it leads to,  _ none of it made sense to him. The boy scratched his head, not used to the extra strand of hair that puffed up during transformations. The extra ‘ahoge,’ as you will. “What are you saying?”

“It’s hard not to understand at this point, Mister Bug,” Chat Noir said, his face in a state of bliss. “My luck, it’s understandable not to process it yet, but hope? You, yourself are a beacon of hope! You save the people of Paris and bring them the gift of hope. You combat the despair Hawkmoth brings and you always win in the end. Everyone loves you because your hope is beautiful–”

“A-ah, should I have come at a d-different time?” A voice stammered. Hajime turned his head and saw the same waitress from before. Her face had a slight blush.

_ Oh. Bad timing. _

Hajime’s face felt hot after realizing what she meant. From Chat Noir’s nutty compliments, it must’ve looked like they were…  _ No, no just get your order. _

“N-no, you’re fine!” Hajime blurted. “We were just talking.”

“Yes, okay. Uhm,” she approached their table and took out her notepad. “What would you two like?”

Hajime and Chat Noir said their orders, Hajime with a nervous sweat and Chat Noir with his usual poker face (his smile basically). Once they were done, the waitress exited the room down the hallway. The boy sighed as most of the embarrassing tension left the atmosphere. Hajime glanced at the other hero across from him, Chat Noir giving him a subtle smile.

So Hajime had to press the right buttons in order to get him to open up, then? The Hope Button. Like the ‘that was easy’ button, but for hope. Alright. But it wasn’t exactly what he was looking for. Hajime wasn’t sure what he was even looking for in the first place, however, getting to know more about him was a start. Even if it meant getting a load of odd compliments that he couldn’t decipher.

“You’re open about things.”

“Yeah, I guess I am. I… think it’s nice to–”

“–to talk about things. Like passions that you can’t talk about with anyone.”

“Yeah,” Chat Noir nodded. “Mister Bug, I don’t mind if you poke and prod around. You seem curious and I’m willing to open up to you if you wish.”

“That’s–that’s not what I’m trying to…” That’s exactly what he was trying to do. But, for some reason, Chat Noir didn’t seem to be telling him the truth. Hajime was sure he didn’t  _ actually _ want to open up much from the tone of his voice. “Here, look, I’ll tell you what, Chat Noir. I’ll be here if you wanna talk about anything.” Hajime leaned his arms against the table. “And, please, don’t open up if you don’t feel comfortable. I’m only trying to get to know you better.”

Chat Noir furrowed his brows in confusion. The hero tapped his clawed fingers against the tabletop in concentrated thought. “I couldn’t possibly tell you  _ everything _ about me. I’ll get annoying and–”

“I don’t care what you think,” Hajime snapped a bit too harshly. Chat Noir’s eyes flicked up towards his own, a hint of an apology already forming on the other boy’s lips. He remembers when the two of them talked on the Eiffel Tower after transforming for the first time. How open Chat Noir was with his feelings, his life, his twisted morals. It was strangely intimate, and uncomfortable if he was being honest, to be exposed to the boy’s deepest feelings right off the bat. “The first time we met, you felt so free to talk about yourself.”

“Which was an embarrassing mistake. I apologize.”

“I think you should do that more,” Hajime said. “Whatever is on your mind, tell me. I won’t mind at all. Promise.”

“You’re like a therapist, Mister Bug,” Chat Noir smiled. The boy’s gaze wandered around the room in thought as he scanned his mind. He opened his mouth to speak after a moment. “Before, you said something about passions. If you don’t mind me asking, what are your passions?”

Chat Noir was obviously deflecting any topics about him by changing the focus onto Hajime. Whatever made the other comfortable was good enough for him, he supposed. 

“My passions, huh,” the brunet stared at the table. Of course, he’s thought about his passions and his talents, but the thing was, nothing ever came up. “I’m not really good at anything. I mean, sometimes I work out, but usually, I’m hanging out with friends or focusing on my responsibilities. ‘M pretty boring.”

“Boring? You’re Mister Bug, you’re nowhere near boring,” Chat Noir excitedly said. He leaned in with a grin on his face. “Does it really matter what you do in your free time when you’re out saving the city and fighting evil?”

“I… I guess not? But, it’s just, I’m not really special,  _ outside _ of being Mister Bug.”

“What do you think will make you special?”

There was a pause as Hajime pondered whether or not to speak about this. “If I had a…” The boy trailed off, shaking his head after a moment. Saying he had no talent would probably lead Chat Noir to think he was interested in Hope’s Peak. That being said, his estimated age range would be set in stone. Chat Noir caught on easily, he was a really smart guy. “Er. If I say it as it is, it’ll be too personal. So, to put it lightly, I don’t have anything important about me. Nothing to be proud of. At least for real me.”

“Ah, I see. I couldn’t relate anymore than I do now,” the hero replied. Hajime wasn’t surprised, Chat Noir had low self-esteem, so to assume he felt like he was unimportant was expected. As the brunet looked at the other boy, he could see Chat Noir’s fingers cupping his chin in thought. “Why not accept your role in society and lift up the ones who are more important?”

“What?” He wasn’t expecting that answer. Hajime expected some type of consolation, not this.

“Don’t get me wrong. You are one of the most important members of society, Mister Bug. But out of your identity, you’re just another normal guy. There’s nothing important about you and there’s nothing you can do about it. You and I are similar, we’re worthless–” his green eyes widened. “But  _ you  _ aren’t worthless. You meaning  _ Mister Bug _ you. But–”

“–Y’know, that really doesn’t help my case. The hell are you trying to say?” Hajime snapped.

Chat Noir kept that smile on his face like he hadn’t said anything wrong. “The real us, we’re just worthless people in this system run by the hopeful and talented. What is there to do other than to be their stepping stools? Ah, but what am I saying? You’re the only Mister Bug there is. Technically, you aren’t even worthless, to begin with. It was so selfish of me to compare myself to you in the first place, calling you worthless and everything. I’m sorry.”

Hajime stared at him as he finished his preaching. “What?”

“Hm? Is there something wrong?”

“Yeah–yes, there’s a lot of things wrong,” he stammered. “I don’t understand a single thing you said. What do you mean by talented? And stepping stools? W-worthlessness–what?”

“I don’t see how you can’t comprehend this…” Chat Noir raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. “If you’re upset at me for calling you worthless, you can hit me or something.”

“I-I’m not gonna hit you, are you stupid?”

“Yes, I suppose so…”

“We’re in a restaurant and you’re my friend,” Hajime argued. “And you’re not stupid. You’re actually really smart, but what in the living hell do you mean by talent and worth and all that shit?”

“The things that make one important, like talent, hope, success. You can only be born with these types of worth, so trying to gain talent will just be a futile attempt. But… In your case, I seem to be a bit confused.” Hajime couldn’t respond because he was still trying to put these pieces together. Chat Noir took it as a sign to continue. “We were given these powers with the help of our Kwami’s so… So why is it that you’re filled with so much hope and worth? Maybe because it came from the Kwami’s…”

“Worth? Chat Noir I’m just some guy, I don’t know why you’re so invested in this,” Hajime was able to put together parts of Chat Noir’s last sayings in his mind, finally understanding a bit of it. “G-going back, you do realize people are able to develop talents along the way, they aren’t born with them.”

“Well, of course, they’re born with them. How else do you think they were able to become successful?”

“Work,” the brunet stated bluntly. “They worked for it.”

The waitress entered the room with two plates of food. Judging from the atmosphere, it must’ve made her a little awkward. Hajime decided to fake a smile in order to wrench out how strained he must’ve looked. Chat Noir smiled as well, not that it was any different compared to how he usually looked. “I have steak for you,” she placed the plate down, “and lobster for you. Enjoy the food!”

The two heroes thanked her as she went on her way. Looking down, Hajime completely forgot their conversation from before because of the aromas coming from his lunch. The steak, sizzling and appetizing, blessed not only his nose but his eyes as well. He couldn’t remember when he took the first bite. He also couldn’t remember when he finished the whole thing in a matter of minutes.

“You really liked that steak, Mister Bug,” Chat Noir giggled. On the other plate was a half-eaten lobster with untouched mashed potatoes and fries. Compared to his, Chat Noir had barely touched his food.

“Did you like that lobster?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “It was more than I expected.”

Hajime looked at the depressing shell with doubt. Maybe he wasn’t hungry or something. Yeah, it probably was more than he expected. “You should get a box.”

“Will do. Do you want some of my fries?”

“Hold on,” Hajime shuffled the napkin with his hands. “It’s kinda hard eating with these suits covering our fingers.”

“Tell me about it. I’m the one with the claws.” Chat Noir curled his fingers and laughed. For a second, Hajime thought it was cute. Only a bit. That was until the plate the hero was pushing towards the brunet accidentally slipped off the table and crashed to the ground. Everything crumbled and splattered onto the floor with a disappointing crash, fries flying underneath the table and the whole lobster being crushed by the plate. 

“Mm,” was all Chat Noir said. “I should’ve expected this.” The boy got out of his chair and leaned over the mess. Hajime did the same and grabbed a napkin. He began to scoop up the plate along with the scattered food stains on the floor, Chat Noir mimicking his actions as he puffed out his cheeks. 

“I apologize for getting you into this mess, Mister Bug. Everywhere I go, my luck tends to follow.” 

“Yeah, I can see that,” he replied. He finished scooping up the mess and placed the napkin holding the rubbish onto the table. “But, I mean, it makes things more interesting.”

Chat Noir wiped his hands on the other spare napkin beside him. When Hajime said that, however, the hero’s attention was focused only on the brunet. “Interesting? Do you mean that?”

“Well, yeah. Makes things entertaining at times. I’m sure it can get a bit annoying for you, but it should deliver at other times too, right?”

“I’m sure good luck will pop up later. You’ll have to stick around and see. Though, I don’t expect you to do that, so don’t feel required to.” 

“Eh?” Hajime said. “Why’s that?”

“You must be itching to get away from me. I’m quite boring and a pain to the ears.”

Again with the self-loathing. Hajime started to wonder if he ever ran out of deprecating comments. He’d hate to wait around and find out, nonetheless. “Chat Noir, I’m not going anywhere. Hell, I wouldn’t even be going out for lunch with you right now if I didn’t like you.”

Chat Noir sighed and rubbed his thighs in nervousness. “Perhaps it’s out of pity. You don’t have to keep on lying to yourself, Mister Bug.”

“I’m not lying,” Hajime countered, pointing his thumb to his chest. “We should learn to trust what each other has to say if we’re gonna be fighting villains. So at least try to take me seriously, okay?”

The boy across from him looked out the window as he leaned back in his seat, avoiding the brunet’s gaze. He watched the cars drive around, similar to worker ants getting from point A to point B, the small number of clouds above casting blurred shadows around the city. Hajime turned his head towards the glass and stared dully. The reflection of Chat Noir’s face graced the window along with the lights behind him. He wasn’t sure why the lights needed to be on at this time of the day.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while,” Chat Noir murmured. “I regret saying something when we first met because it wasn’t entirely truthful.” Hajime looked at the boy with apprehension. Maybe he would open up a bit now? He chose to stay silent and wait for him to speak again.

“When I said I was going to die in 8 years, I was lying.”

He remembers Chat Noir’s grinning face as they sat near the top of the Eiffel Tower. His rattling laugh injecting Hajime with anxiety, like his lungs were giving out, how it seemed like they could pop at any moment. When he gave him the news of his future with an eerie smile, it shook him to the core. Despite that, however, those 8 years always came into Hajime’s mind every now and then. When he was studying, fighting, doing whatever the hell he was doing, they always popped up into his thoughts. But now that he learned they were all a lie, a bit of his trust for Chat Noir diminished, falling onto the ground like a withered petal.

“So you lied about…” Hajime stopped himself from talking. The main question on his mind was  _ why _ he lied about it.

“Yeah,” Chat Noir replied, his eyes still looking out the window as if he was contemplating continuing. “I don’t want to burden you anymore, but I hope this will take some stress off your shoulders, Mister Bug.”

“That–that just makes me distrust you.”

“I didn’t lie for any reason, though. Since you’ve seen my luck I think it’s better if I explain myself,” Chat Noir shifted his gaze towards Hajime after a moment before his eyes wandered down towards the table, a smile twisting his lips. “Eight’s a lucky number. I thought, maybe if I convinced my luck that I would die in eight years, it would finally happen!”

He stared at the hero before him. Hajime knew he was somewhat fucked up, but he wasn’t expecting this much complication in how fucked up he was.

“I know it sounds stupid. But I’m desperate at this point. My luck is torturing… Everything,” Chat Noir let out a soft chuckle from his chest. “I hope that was enough opening up for you?”

Hajime parted his lips to respond, but all that came out was basically nothing at all. It was important to get his thoughts in order first, and after a few moments went by, he was able to speak. “Your luck… Dictates you…? That much?”

“It’s absolute power. A power that I can’t control at my own will. Ah, speaking of my luck, since my bad luck streak ended with a large amount of good luck, there’s only a matter of time before something bad happens again. I’m sure the plate wasn’t the half of it.”

Chat Noir quickly shifted the direction of the conversation to something else. It seemed like that was going to be a pattern whenever he tried to open up about himself. The boy left no time for Hajime to respond to him while more questions were beginning to pile up on the brunet’s own tongue. “Maybe I’ll get food poisoning. Or maybe I’ll have an allergic reaction to something in here that I never knew I was allergic to in the first place! It makes me all tingly inside.”

Hajime ignored the last comment as he stood up from his seat and stretched his arms over his head. Chat Noir stopped talking and looked up at him. “Where are you going?”

“Since we’re done eating, I don’t see the point in waiting for the check since it’s all free.” Hajime tried to ignore the blast of bad news Chat Noir piled onto him before as he wiped his hands on a napkin lying on the table (more like he wiped the dirty parts of his suit that just so happened to lay over his fingers). Taking out his yo-yo, he tried to see if there were any bills hidden inside. “Maybe we can give them a tip, though…”

Placing down fifteen dollars, he finally felt satisfied. Chat Noir got out from his seat and walked up to his side. “Don’t you think we should tell the staff about the plate?”

“I’m sure they’ll understand. No… Maybe we should write them a note.” Hajime went back to the table and slid out a paper napkin from the metal holder. He prayed to Chat Noir’s luck that there would be a pen in his yo-yo, and blessed thee, there was. After writing a note, Chat Noir telling Hajime to write that he was also sorry, the two of them left. 

He was thankful they didn’t run into any Akumatizations on their way around the city, nor did they run into any crime. But Chat Noir did expand his staff at an odd angle causing it to harshly scrape his jaw. Hajime could only watch in pity.

The next day, as Hajime slowly opened his eyes to the strand of light coming in between his curtains, he picked up his phone. Maybe he did feel a bit of shame checking the Mister Bug website first thing in the morning, but it was understandable since he was, in fact, Mister Bug. The site was filled with pictures of Mister Bug and Chat Noir entering Le Jules Vernes and coming out together, smiling. 

Hajime could only roll his eyes. He dropped his phone on his nightstand table and closed his eyes to try and go back to sleep. He didn’t want his Sunday’s to be filled with annoyances like the media.

But the next recent buzz coming from his phone told him differently.

**Kaito:** _ Hey man were meeting up at 2 near le peloton c u there _

Hajime groaned into his pillow. It was already 12 o’clock in the afternoon.


	8. You’re probably so rich that you can become the next Batman!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> btw this chapter gon have some subtle homophobia in the first bit. in the first chapter i hinted towards this a bit so imma introduce it : ( n ye were gonna see more of the homophobia, but dont worry cuz.... spoiler alert theres gonna be a bit of story surrounding it later on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk if this chapter was boring cuz its a lot of dialogue like pretty much every one of these chapters
> 
> AND YES I KNOW LE PELOTON IS A SMALL CAFE. JUST IMAGE IT BIGGER. WITH LARGE TABLES OUT FRONT. OKAY.

Hajime pulled open his bedroom door. The window from the end of the hallway lit up the area around him. Going down the hall and turning to the left were even greater windows lining the wall of the living room. A nonsensical chatter came from the television in front of his parents and their couch. His dad scrolled on his phone with a bored expression on his face while, sitting next to him, Hajime’s mom watched the TV play a romantic comedy of some sorts. 

He knocked on the wall next to him and alerted the two. His dad, grey eyes skimming Hajime’s presence until going back to his phone, waved with a grunt. His mother gave him a subtle smile, her black, shoulder-length hair falling over her ear before her fingers traced it behind once again.

“Good afternoon,” his mom said, “you slept in well.”

“Morning. And yeah, I had a long day yesterday,” Hajime greeted. The television placed on the wall aside from the windows glared the imagery of a man and a woman standing in the rain, a stark contrast to the weather outside. The man held an umbrella above the woman, suddenly moving it away from her head so the rain pelted her crazy hairdo. What were romantic comedies…? He just hoped his life wasn’t a romantic comedy, that stuff was lame. “I’m heading out again, gonna hang out and eat with some friends.”

“Where’re you headin’ off to now? Don’t tell me you’re that man-bug fellow,” his dad chuckled behind his phone’s screen. 

It took a lot of his self-restraint not to freeze in place. That almost caught him off guard and he was sure the uncontrolled silence became a bit concerning if not for the television’s movie. “Heh, course not.”

His father leaned his elbow against the couch’s armrest. From Hajime’s place, he could see him browsing social media. Apparently his cousin’s birthday was coming up, at least, that’s what it looked like from the post on his phone. Hajime turned around and headed towards the hall. His father hummed. “Yeah… That bug man is somethin’ else. Especially that cat man.”

He’s so glad he talked Chat Noir out of naming himself ‘Cat Man.’

“I think they might be a bit too close for comfort,” his mom started, exaggerating a few words. “I heard they went to a cafe for a date.”

Hajime had his hand on the doorknob when he heard them from down the hall. He thinned his lips and exhaled through his nose. His dad huffed, “if they are, I hope they don’t kiss or somethin’, my coworker’s kid idolizes them. Don’t want any weird ideas goin’ into his kid’s head.”

The boy closed the door a bit too harshly. He hoped it seemed like it was an accident to his parents, but it wouldn’t be the first time he had done that. His fists tightened before they loosened again. Heading down the black and white hall, the wall lamps shining a bright light across the floors, Hajime approach the elevator and stepped in. He tapped his foot against the rug underneath him as he tried to forget what his parents were talking about. 

He loved them to death, but sometimes, he could dislike them just the same.

* * *

Hajime Hinata was the Super High School Luckster inside of the 77th class of Hope’s Peak Academy. To Nagito, that title stood for complete and utter worthlessness.

Nagito wasn’t too keen on the title of SHSL Luckster. Why would he when he wasn’t given that title despite being one of the luckiest people he’s ever met. It would make more sense if  _ he _ was chosen for that title, but instead, he was placed with the Ultimate Model thanks to his background. Gathering all of his life experiences, not being given that title was preposterous, to say the least. It didn’t make any sense. Nagito had concluded that Hajime was talentless and the Ultimate Luckster name was practically a placeholder name for Worthless.

There was another Luckster in Hope’s Peak, Makoto Naegi. And that boy had the same worth as Hajime, that is if he put two and two together. Nagito didn’t know much about the first-year, but word got around about the ‘loser’s throne,’ AKA, the SHSL Luckster title. 

_ Actually, Nagito overheard staff call the Ultimate Lucky Student’s spot the ‘loser’s throne.’ He wasn’t sure if it was good luck or bad luck that gave him that piece of information, but his point still stood. _

He wasn’t excited about exiting his home today. Of course, he always loved to take walks outside, to look around and see the life around him. Yet, Nagito’s luck always found its way into his regular occurrences, especially when he visited other people, those people being the cameramen at his photoshoots. 

_ Yeah…  _

At the moment, the boy sat at a large table outside of Le Peloton with a group of people he was honored to call his friends, and there were quite a lot of them. The third years that invited him were Kaito, Shuichi, Rantaro, Keebo, and Kokichi, for some odd reason. Fuyuhiko, Gundham, and last and least, Hajime, were there with him. Nagito felt every stare thrown his way from Kokichi, who sat straight across from him on the cafe’s table. The boy had his arms behind his head like he usually did, a smirk glued onto his lips. 

To be this close to a group of Ultimates was something he never thought could come true. Close meaning close in proximity and friendship. But Nagito wasn’t close to any of them relationship-wise. He didn’t think he could ever get close to them without outing himself as a freak. 

It was obvious they thought of Nagito as the Ultimate Model, someone with ‘elegance’ or ‘beauty,’ but those titles didn’t exactly feel right describing himself. Whatever the case, no matter what they thought of him, his goal was to please the Ultimates to the best of his abilities. Maybe he would have a chance to do that today? He could put all of their orders on his tab. Nagito would bend over backward to give them what they want. Hell, he would even wipe their mouth from crumbs if it was socially acceptable. Excluding Hajime.

The table was busy chatting with one another as everyone laughed and drank their coffee. Or soda in Kokichi’s case. Fuyuhiko latched onto Hajime’s conversations while he talked to Kaito and Shuichi about who knows what. Kokichi was making fun of Keebo while Rantaro entertained himself by listening to Gundham’s rambles. Nagito wasn’t sure how to approach Kokichi, let alone talk to him without having an inch of tension between the two. The scattered stares he gave Nagito was a warning of what information Kokichi could hold against him. A flash of his white attire appeared in his mind from a few days ago.

“Sooo. You’re saying robots  _ don’t  _ have dicks.”

“No! That is not what I’m saying. How disrespectful!”

“So they do?”

“Grah! For the last time,” Keebo grabbed puffs of hair into his hands and cried to the sky. After a moment, he spread his hands in front of him as if he was bewildered. “Stop asking me this! This is blatant robophobia!”

If Keebo and Kokichi were in the same class for three years, one would think Keebo would be used to the other boy’s taunts. Apparently not. From the looks of the third-years at the table, it seemed like they were used to this happening as they acted like nothing was wrong.

Situated next to Kokichi was Gundham gesturing his hands in grand and energetic motions. His face seemed focused on the topic at hand, about demon beasts or something along those lines. Perhaps he was speaking of a show he watched? After a minute, when Gundham was going to eat his food, he cautiously spread open the end of his sleeve and snuck a piece of his food inside. Why would someone leave crumbs in their shirt? It would be uncomfortable. But, to Nagito’s surprise, a small hamster peeked its head from the sleeve and nibbled on the food. Ultimates were… surprising.

Sitting right to the side of himself was Hajime. Apparently, Nagito was also in a conversation with him, Fuyuhiko, Shuichi, and Kaito. The only thing he was doing was listening to them talk. If he was being honest, he wasn’t participating in the chat whatsoever because, frankly, he had no idea what was going on.

“You bought fuckin’ condoms?!” Fuyuhiko yelled before realizing he was outside, in a public area with possible children on the premises.

“Keep it down! No, I  _ didn’t,” _ Hajime argued, his face growing a bit red. “What am I gonna do with  _ condoms?” _

“Uhh…” Shuichi trailed off.

“It’s pretty obvious,” Kaito said bluntly. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped you get her way before.”

“That wasn’t the same case for Maki,” Shuichi murmured. Fuyuhiko snorted into his coffee and Hajime smiled in revenge. “How long did it take you to confess? Two years?”

_ “One and a half. _ Summer break doesn’t count. And that isn’t that long! If I was single, I bet I can get a lady faster than you can, Shuichi,” Kaito pointed his thumb towards his chest, a determined look grazing his face. “On the other hand, though, Hajime, if you need someone to help you get the ladies, I’m here!”

“Uh, yeah. Definitely.” 

Kaito almost bit his tongue.

“Hey, Shuichi,” Fuyuhiko called. Shuichi looked towards his direction, humming in reply. “The hell happened when you got Akumatized? I don’t mean to pry or anything like that. Just wanna know what it’s like n’ all.”

“Ah, well. Um,” Shuichi shifted in his seat as he brought back the memories. “Sorry to say this, but I don’t remember much, Fuyuhiko. All I remember was talking to Kokichi about something before blacking out and waking up near the Eiffel Tower. I was a bit disoriented, but I saw Mister Bug and Chat Noir right after.”

_ “If the last person you talked to was Kokichi, that means Kokichi caused you to get Akumatized,” _ Kaito whispered so only they could hear. Kokichi  _ was _ a few feet away further down the table. Meaning he was literally right across from Nagito, most likely having the ability to hear Kaito with his loud whispering.  _ “Why the hell did we invite him in the first place?” _

“I invited him because he’s really not that bad,” Shuichi said. “We had a bit of a misunderstanding, it’s nothing to worry about.”

Fuyuhiko sighed as he crossed his arms against his chest, leaning back into his chair. “Stop whispering and tell it to that asshole’s face. He used you and said his bullshit speeches on world domination like he always does.”

“Aww. Do you really hate them that much?” Kokichi cooed, leaning over the table to look passed Keebo and at Fuyuhiko, who was sitting at the head of the table. “You know, it takes a lot of skill to come up with those inspirational speeches. Maybe the Ultimate Yakuza could learn a bit from me?”

“I don’t need to learn jack shit from you, liar,” the blond spit. 

Their area of the table fell into silence once Fuyuhiko didn’t continue. He was probably tired of the other boy’s antics judging from his furrowed brows and ticked-off expression. Keebo anxiously ate his food and Nagito felt pity for the robotic boy. Maybe if he was sitting at the other head of the table, where Gundham and Rantaro spoke, he wouldn’t be so nervous. However, the Ultimate Breeder and Adventurer kept their usual conversation flowing despite the tension that had gathered from the left of them. Kokichi had already joined the two’s chat.

Shuichi pulled his hat lower down his face as he scanned the food in front of him. His tense shoulders lowered. “Sorry for that, I just… From the videos I saw… I think I almost killed Chat Noir.”

Hajime’s head rose to face Shuichi across from him. “But you didn’t mean it. You were Akumatized. Here, just–think of it like Mister Bug and Chat Noir saving you from Hawkmoth’s brainwashing.”

“But who’s there to save them?” Shuichi said.

That took Nagito by surprise. He supposed he was there to save Mister Bug in case anything happened to the hero. But, of course, Mister Bug would never end up in a situation so dire that he was in need of Chat Noir’s aid. On the other hand, the thing that was meant to save Chat Noir from danger was his luck. It was plain and simple.

“I’m sure they have it under control,” Hajime insisted. “They’ve always had it under control.”

“It’s almost been a month, so I bet if they’ve been fighting for that long with powers and all, they’re bound to win against villains together.” Shuichi smiled, trying to lift up his own mood. However, after a moment his smile slowly vanished. “But, hypothetically, if I did wound up… It would really change my life forever. Not only mine but Chat Noir’s family too.”

_ Nagito bit back a chuckle. _

“Taking someone’s life away while under the influence of someone else’s control is something I worry about. I mean that’s obvious to see. Haha,” the boy nervously laughed.

“Just be glad you didn’t, Shuichi! The chances of you getting Akumatized are slim to none now that it’s already happened,” Kaito patted his back a bit too harshly. Shuichi gave him a chuckle, picking up his fork and playing with the food on his plate.

Nagito looked to his right at the conversation happening on the other end of the table. Luckily for him, being in the middle of two conversations certainly had its benefits.

“The familiar you speak of, explain in more detail,” Gundham demanded as he stared intently at the green-haired boy across from him. Rantaro gave off a relaxed composure, like an aura that calmed down the surrounding area. 

“If by familiar, you mean pet, then I got a few,” Rantaro smiled. “I have a pretty big household, so that means we’re more capable of owning more pets. When you travel the world you come across a few exotics and some just took a liken to me–ah, I’m getting off track. I got a tiger, he’s really small. I got him recently.”

“When you say recently, how long have you since acquired this demon beast?”

“During the break,” Rantaro casually said. “Hey, since you’re the Ultimate Breeder, I have a favor to ask of you.”

Gundham nodded. “What do you seek?”

“The tiger’s growing up really fast and I’m afraid my family won’t be able to take care of him,” Nagito could practically sense the pure excitement radiating off of Gundham. “If you have the chance and space, do you think you can take him in–”

_ “–Yes.” _

“Oh, nice. Promise me I’ll be able to see him every once and a while though,” Rantaro grinned.

With all of these topics entering and exiting the cafe’s table, all Nagito could do was watch. The constant feeling that he was probably doing something wrong nagged him in the back of his mind, though. He should probably try and talk, but, what was there he could say? The only thing he could do was express his surprise and admiration over the Ultimates owning a tiger, traveling the world, having conflicts with friends, doing things, having things… What could he possibly bring to the table?

Nagito wanted to entertain the Ultimates just as much as they entertained each other. That was how he wanted to give them hope, even if by a little.

“Hey. Nagito. Hey,” Kokichi pestered as he waved his hand around. Kokichi looked over towards the other, his lips pursing as he whistled a short attention-grabbing signal. It wasn’t loud enough to stop the table’s conversation, it was subtle, brief. Nagito turned his head towards the smaller boy and raised an eyebrow.

“Huh? What is it?”

“You spaced out there for a sec. I hope you’re not plotting on killing me. I’m too young to die,” he pouted.

“Ah, did I…?” Nagito gave an awkward look. It was difficult to bring a smile to his face after everything that happened between the two. “I guess that happens sometimes.”

Keebo’s elbows rested against the table where his food would be, that is if he actually ordered food. He was a robot, after all. “Is something the matter? Are you tired?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” Nagito waved his hands in front of his chest. “Although, I suppose the number of conversations happening is a bit overwhelming.”

Just his luck that the table gradually grew quieter once he said that. It was one of those moments when multiple conversations coincidentally come to a stop to fill the room with silence, or in this case, the outdoor table with silence.

Like he said before, just his luck.

“Is the pretty boy scared of small talk,” Fuyuhiko smirked, freckled cheeks squinting his eyes in a teasing manner.

“That’s not it at all! I appreciate being here with all of you, it’s just, my job is pretty taxing at times.”

“Damn, how busy are models anyway?” Fuyuhiko asked. The silence surrounding the two was distracting as every Ultimate had their attention on them.

“It can be really demanding at times. The amount of pressure the job throws at you can be so exhausting.”

“Hm. You know, I think there’s another thing that’s makin’ you exhausted.”

Nagito tilted his head ever so slightly and waited for his answer. “What?”

“What’s up with that Kirumi chick? I see her leave your house often,” Nagito wasn’t prepared for what the impish glint in Fuyuhiko’s eyes entailed. “Is there something you’re not tellin’ us?”

Nagito froze.

_ “H-huh?!” _

“K-Kirumi?! You mean my mom? Have you been  _ sleeping _ with  _ my mom?!” _ Kokichi shouted in disbelief.

“I never knew Nagito would be more of a player compared to Rantaro!” Kaito laughed.

“I’m not a womanizer, Kaito,” he shot back from way across the table.

Nagito regained his senses and straightened his back. No doubt his neck and face glowed with a harsh blush. Damn his pale skin! “I-I don’t–uh, she’s not with me or anything like that.” Kirumi wouldn’t deserve him. The whole table’s eyes were on Nagito and his mini-meltdown. How would he get himself out of this one? “K-Kirumi is my housekeeper. She keeps it clean since it’s such a large place. I can say, she really is the Ultimate Maid!”

_ Did I escape this situation without messing up…? _

“You ever think about how she has all that time to serve other people?” Kokichi started, thankfully driving the conversation into something different. Apparently the boy was good for  _ something. _ “It’d be really self-centered if you never helped her out, Nagito.”

The boy scratched his cheek and chuckled. “I may not be as great of a cleaner as Kirumi, but I really do like to clean with her. I think it’s one of the things I’m capable of. But I can’t help her cook for the life of me. Everything I make turns to ash!”

At this point, he was sure everyone at the table was trying to get to know Nagito better, that’s why they were all listening in. Since he only transferred this year, no one exactly knew what he was like. As much as he appreciated their time, this whole show he was trying to put up made him somewhat nervous. Nagito hasn’t ever been to an outing with friends, it’s only been with his boss, coworkers, and parents. Parents meaning, when they were still alive.

“I was wondering…” Hajime said, his body turned to Nagito, but his eyes staring down at his plate. He looked at Nagito after taking a deep breath. “Do you think we can come to your house sometime? As a hangout. It might be too early to ask of this since we’re all still getting to know you, but maybe we can kick it up a notch if we come by to visit.”

“Hajime, are you asking if you can throw a party at my house?” Nagito phrased it as a joke, but inside, he wanted it to jab at the brunet’s dignity. “I’m afraid I can’t get my hands on any alcohol.”

“No, no–I mean, if you wanna throw a party that’s great, but that’s not what I’m asking.”

Fuyuhiko laughed from the head of the table and leaned forward. “If you want all of us to hang out with you at your place we’d be up to it. You’re new, so it’s only natural for us to get to know you better.”

Nagito felt a hint of flattery. The rest of it was squashed by the feelings of undeserving worthlessness. Adding on to that, it came as quite a shock to have a Yakuza being nice to him and not threatening to cut his fingers off. 

“I’ll see if I can!” No, he wouldn’t. Personally, Nagito didn’t like people inside of his house. It just felt too… Intimate. The whole place was lifeless with dust-free surfaces in a creepily isolated mansion. Adding on to that, the atmosphere was relatively heavy, at least to Nagito it was, and that was probably because of its history with his parents and his luck and his childhood dog and his… Well. Everything.

However, a deeper part of him was desperate to finally see life in a rather gray and empty residence. To see it stir with actual people instead of solely himself and Kirumi. Maybe he could give it a chance?

“My, erm. Parents are on a business trip overseas, so they wanted Kirumi to help clean the house while they’re gone,” Nagito began. He’d probably regret this later since his luck always ruined the times he hung out with people. But that just made it all the better! If it ruined his hangout with his friends, then he’ll get something in return. Something great, something fantastic! “I don’t think my… Parents will mind if they don’t know what happens. Kirumi won’t tell either.”

Nagito’s parents were dead. The thing was, his aunt wasn’t. He figured it would’ve made the mood awkward if he specifically said his aunt, anyway. The woman technically owned the house until Nagito turned 18 and after that, he’d be free from her guardianship. Nagito’s aunt wasn’t actually on a business trip, either. She left France by leaching off of Nagito’s inheritance and flying to different countries in order to escape his luck. If Nagito was being honest, it was actually a wise decision and he couldn’t blame her. 

“Wait, so you’re actually gonna plan a party?” Hajime asked.

“Life is short,” Nagito smirked. The whole plan was to get something out of having a party at his house, be it good luck or bad luck. It was a risk, and Nagito would be lying if the plan made him more fearful than he already was at every waking moment. But getting the chance to hang out with even more Ultimates made his heart flutter, his excitement rage. This change gave him the opportunity to see their hope shine. How would they converse with one another? Would they butt heads or would they talk it out and reveal how hopeful their choices were? There were so many outcomes! 

Nagito couldn’t dwell on it, though. If he did, he might get a bit weird.

“Hold up,” Fuyuhiko sneered. “If you bring any drinks I’ll kill you! Underage drinking is idiotic.”

“There won’t be any drinks. I understand that if we get caught with alcohol, our future’s pretty much ruined!” That didn’t sound half bad if his good luck would do its thing. Whatever the case, Nagito planned on staying at Hope’s Peak for the time being.

“Where do you see  _ your _ future heading, Nagito?” Kokichi babbled in his exaggerated way of talking. It was odd how he had taken an interest in him, but maybe this was his way of making Nagito uncomfortable. “It must be bright! Photoshoots, fans, money, money, money! I bet you could retire by now! You’re probably so rich that you can become the next Batman!”

“You don’t tell someone that right off the bat, Kokichi,” Shuichi warned. 

“It was just a joke,” the boy replied, dragging out the last syllable like a whining child.

“It’s really fine,” Nagito said, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. He felt the nervous sweat gathering behind his white locks. “I don’t mean to brag, but you’re right. Not the Batman part. But I don’t see the point in retiring now, though. Where would be the fun in that?”

Complimenting himself in any way felt like rocks were blocking his tongue from moving inside of his mouth. Long story short, it was difficult and uncomfortable. A part of being a model is to take the compliments and criticism with an open mind, sadly, Nagito was still learning the compliment part.

“Oh, I’m sure you know where you can find fun and adventure while retired,” Kokichi said with a sinister grin across his face. Was he hinting at Chat Noir…? Nagito’s heart beat faster for a moment.

“Don’t mind him,” Rantaro sighed. “He always says ominous things. You’ll get used to it.”

Kokichi did his infamous chuckle. It was complementary to how it sounded when he was in his white uniform, lacking the mask’s muffling. “They’re not meant to be ominous, they’re meant to be truthful.”

“You and the word truthful do not belong in the same sentence,” Hajime droned, his cheek resting against his fist.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you weren’t being truthful either!”

Next to him, Hajime froze for a second. Nagito had trouble noticing until the brunet let out a deep sigh. He was sure it was nothing to dwell on, but it only made Nagito wonder. What would a talentless nobody like Hajime keep secret? Kokichi probably discovered something embarrassing about him. For an Ultimate, he sure was a scheming nuisance.

“Stop stirring the pot and eat your food,” Kaito complained, taking a bite of his lunch. “Besides,” he swallowed, “we didn’t come out here to weird out Nagito. Cut him some slack, would’ya?”

_ “Last time I remembered, Kaito wasn’t the Ultimate Superhero,” _ Kokichi murmured underneath his breath as he stared at the boy in front of him. Nagito flinched in place. He would be seeing more of Kokichi in the near future. Be it as a high school student, or as Chat Noir. That thought alone made him stand on his toes.

“I’m sorry,” Kokichi apologized. His tone wasn’t apologetic at all, however. “Being a model must have its downsides. Like hiding your true self, don’t you think, Nagito? Having a reputation can certainly be tiring! I should know!”

Nagito had to decipher each phrase Kokichi said. There were obviously other forces at play here and he had to maneuver around them cautiously. Kokichi was poking at the boy, clearly stating his knowledge of Chat Noir’s alter ego without letting too much off. And the point of Kokichi having a reputation? Nagito knew he was the Ultimate Supreme Leader, but from their friend’s reactions, they didn’t seem to believe everything Kokichi said. How much was a lie and how much was the truth?

“You’re the Ultimate Supreme Leader, correct?” Nagito asked in a clueless manner, a plastic smile on his face. “What are you the leader of?”

“Here we go again…” Kaito sighed.

“Oh… I’m just the leader of an evil secret organization,” Kokichi suavely said. “It has over 10,000 members! It’s quite impressive, really.”

“E-evil?”

“That’s right!” Kokichi placed his finger against his chin, tilting his head down slightly.

_ Evil…? Was that really a fitting role for an Ultimate? They were supposed to spread hope! They weren’t supposed to be the pawns of despair!  _ “Erm, how did they allow you into Hope’s Peak?”

“Because I’m a liar,” the dark-haired boy smirked. Nagito furrowed his eyebrows.

“The words of this despicable mortal does not speak of the truth,” Gundham intervened. “Save your limited time and ignore his calls for attention.”

Nagito wasn’t interested in his ‘calls for attention.’ He was more curious about Kokichi’s intentions and title. The boy started Shuichi’s Akumatization by possibly saying something which drove Shuich’s emotions haywire. After that, he used his powers in order to achieve, in a way, political gain. Reputation, he should say. So, why in the world did Shuichi look so calm over this? Kokichi took advantage of him in his most vulnerable state. Why wasn’t he scared?

And the fact that Kokichi claimed he ran an  _ evil _ organization hooked Nagito’s attention. Perhaps he wasn’t telling the truth. Or maybe the truth was exaggerated? Kokichi knew how to enact a plan, he did so while Nagito was chasing him around the shopping streets of Paris. Not only that, but Kokichi also revealed his knowledge of Chat Noir’s true identity. It wasn’t smart to underestimate the boy.

“If you think I’m a liar, then I can say Nagito is Chat Noir!”

Nagito spit out his coffee (into his cup, thank God). And maybe he choked a bit on the leftover coffee in his mouth.

“What? Did I strike a nerve in you?” Kokichi asked. “Hey, hey! Hey, there’s no reason to freak out! I’m the best liar there is, your cover isn’t blown at all, Chat Noir!”

“Urgh! Just shut up already!” Kaito exclaimed. Rantaro pat Nagito’s back after a few seconds of wild, rattling hacking escaped his wheezing lungs. Apart of him wanted to squeal in the excitement that  _ the _ Ultimate Adventurer was patting  _ his _ back! He wondered what he did to deserve this special treatment, but that thought had to cease once his coughing fit was over.

“S-sorry… To disturb all of you” Nagito cleared his throat, wiping the tears from his eyes. “I-it went down the wrong p-pipe.”

Keebo gave a harsh stare towards Kokichi before looking at the model. “No worries! It happens to the best of us. Except me, of course.”

“Y’know what I get tired of hearing all the time?” Fuyuhiko said out of the blue. “Get tired of hearing Mister Bug this, Chat Noir that. Seems like no one can keep a simple conversation going without involving those two.”

“Y’know what  _ I _ get tired of hearing all the time?” Kokichi began. “When the baby gangster complains about having to  _ work in a cafe!” _

“Shut your trap, you lying shitface, you’re just as tall as me! I work there because the organization has ties to it! Hell, it ain’t even well known, so what do you know?!”

Gundham’s short and chesty laughter resonated around the table. “I believe those two heroes of destiny are fascinating–” 

Fuyuhiko slammed his hand on the table, “don’t change the subject–!”

“–Chat Noir and his suit of abyssal black intrigues me. His grand power of destruction is such a statement of matter versus elimination.”

Nagito bit his lip at Gundham’s confusing appraisal. He had to change the subject in case any sort of compliments came around about himself. “I’m personally more of a fan of Mister Bug.”

“Ah! You are?” Hajime blurted, not missing a beat. Did he have to repeat himself for the worthless brunet? Nagito internally groaned. 

“Yeah, he has the power to make things out of thin air to help his situation. It takes a lot of problem-solving to make it happen too,” Nagito tried to keep himself from blushing. He rubbed his hands against his jeans. “He must be smart.”

“You think so?” Hajime asked.

Nagito almost rolled his eyes. “Of course I think so.”

* * *

Oh.

Kokichi knew what was going on.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have decided that DICE will have a lot of contributions in this fic. im building it as i write it so the storyline may be a bit vague.
> 
> Instagram, Tumblr, twitter, amino: @ToxicPooPoo


	9. If your piss is that acidic you should go to the doctor.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hajimes just hangin out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EEEEE thank you for the comments n the kudos it means a lot <3  
> I'm trying me best to make a storyline as I go, so I hope we slowly ease into that soon
> 
> and gracias jess for being my beta

It was nothing short of embarrassing when his old burner–Mister Bug’s old burner, went off in the cafeteria alerting everyone around him, including the person who wasn’t supposed to know, Nagito. Last week was a bit of a nightmare. Calling Nagito in the middle of that incident and rousing suspicion he never thought could occur made Hajime drag his hand down his face whenever he thought about it. And the weird conversation they had! He felt like banging his head on the traffic pole in front of him.

It was edging towards dusk, the saturated orange hue painting the roads and cars skimming by with a sheen. Hajime just left the supermarket with a burner, potato chips, Coke, and some Blue Ram for him and Kazuichi to snack on once he approached Hope’s Peak. And luckily he kept Nagito’s number in his yo-yo’s storage, so he was going to act on his responsibilities. Right now.

Shifting the plastic bag into his left hand, Hajime dug into it with his other and took out the burner phone. The boy already had the small piece of paper in his left hand as well, talk about juggling. Typing in the number, Hajime clicked the call button and pressed it close to his ear. His heart was already beating from the thought of calling Nagito again, but he had to take deep breaths. He  _ was _ in character, after all. He was Mister Bug at the moment. Mentally, not physically.

Hajime’s heart nearly skipped a beat when the phone picked up.

“Ah, who’s this?” Nagito asked. Hajime took a deep breath and looked around for any passersby.

“Mister Bug. I’m back,” he nervously chuckled.

“Hello!” Nagito’s voice sounded genuinely excited. His heart swelled with pride, blush coating his cheeks. “How have you been doing, Mister Bug?”

“I’ve been doing well. Kinda lost the last burner, but I bought another if you couldn’t tell,” he smiled, staring at the concrete below him.

“I see. Of course, it’d be easy to drop the phone while in action. Speaking of the last burner, I’m sure I saw someone who had it last.” 

Hajime visibly expressed the nervousness on his face, his lips in a straight line. One of the perks of talking on a cell phone was the liberation of showing facial reactions. “You did? Who had it?”

“Just a classmate.”

_ Just a classmate! _

Hajime internally fell to his knees in defeat.  _ What a blow to the self-esteem…  _

There was a silence on the phone as Hajime crossed the street and continued walking, wallowing in his most recent fail. The crowds of people around him went down their own little ways, inside stores, alleys, cars. Some were students of Hope’s Peak, Reserve Course students based on their uniforms. Luckily he was in his casual attire. 

Nagito finally spoke and broke the short period of silence, “is there something wrong? Since you called, I was wondering if I was in any danger or…”

“Oh, no, no, you’re fine,” Hajime said as he subconsciously stared at the buildings and storefronts around him. “I just dropped the last burner and I finally bought another one to see if it worked. Glad it does, though.”

“It’s good to hear I’m not in any danger.” Hajime could hear the smile on Nagito’s lips. His chest blossomed with a subtle warmth. 

“Yeah, it is.”

A deep chuckle came from the phone and Hajime almost melted in place, like a candle. “I was wondering whether or not to call the day after giving you my number. I know I’m only supposed to call when I’m in danger, but I guess I almost got ahead of myself,” Nagito said apologetically. It was like he was saying sorry without doing anything bad.

Soon a memory popped inside of his head: the cafeteria and Nagito. He wasn’t in any danger, he called only for the hell of it. Only for the hell of it! Nagito wanted to talk to him, er–to Mister Bug. Not _ him,  _ him, but Nagito wanted to talk to a part of him, nonetheless. Any chances he got that involved talking to Nagito was a chance we would take no matter what. A chance he would allow to carry out.

“You don’t have to apologize for doing that,” he blurted a bit too harshly. “I mean, we all get bored from time to time. In fact, I wouldn’t mind if you called whenever you wanted to.”

Vyxaam must’ve groaned so hard inside of his pocket. Hajime was completely breaking their trust by allowing this, but… It was totally worth it. What was the worst that could happen?

“Really? Are you sure I won’t interfere with anything?”

“You won’t,” Hajime replied. He thought for a moment before continuing. “And I bet this phone can receive texts and stuff, so feel free to do that too. I wouldn’t mind at all.”

“Alright! That sounds great. Thank you, Mister Bug,” Nagito said. Hajime had a wide grin across his face. He desperately wanted to see how the other looked right now, to see if he had a smile too. What would he look like right now? Was he doing homework? Was he lounging on his sofa watching TV? So many possibilities… 

Hajime was already approaching Hope’s Peak. The phone call made his destination come a lot quicker than he expected it to. That meant this was the end of his phone call, unfortunately. “Well,” Hajime sighed, “it was nice talking to you again, Nagito. I hope we can speak again.”

“I… hope so too. Without the danger aspects,” he laughed.

“Y-yeah, without the danger aspects,” Hajime said. “Goodbye.”

“Bye,” the model said. The phone hung up from the other line and Hajime let out a long exhale. He lowered the burner from his ear and stared at the screen in front of him. A fluttering sensation made his chest feel lighter, made his heart seem ten degrees warmer than normal. He couldn’t wait to get texts from Nagito.

Shoving the phone into his pant’s pocket, Hajime entered the premises of Hope’s Peak and went on his way towards the dorms. It was quite a walk away, and the boy couldn’t stop thinking about the phone call he had. Repeating the laughs Nagito had like a broken record in his mind, it was impossible not to have a bounce to his step. 

Hajime scanned the building’s front door with an ID card before opening the door and entering. A blast of warm air hit his face, automatically making the boy want to crawl into a ball and sleep right on the ground. Not only was it cozy, but the walls were a calming cream color with windows in all the right places, allowing the diminishing orange glow through the glass and onto the dark wood flooring. Lines of red carpets led from the entrance hall and down towards the resting area filled with couches and tables and other pieces of furniture.

Hajime took a right and up the stairs. Once he reached the third floor, he traveled down a certain hall and found the door he was looking for. On the dark wooden door situated across from him was a small portrait of a pixel sprite Kazuichi. Angie and Chiaki decided to team up and make one of each for every Ultimate inside of these dorms. Chiaki, with her passion for video games, came up with the idea to have a sprite theme going on, and Angie obliged despite her loyal obedience to Atua or whatever.

He knocked on the door with his free hand and waited. A few bangs of metal fell onto the ground before Kazuichi let out a couple of curses. Hajime raised an eyebrow. He was debating knocking again after seconds passed, but the door had already swung open with a grinning Kazuichi on the other side.

“If it isn’t my best bro! Come in, I’m just workin’ on somethin’.” Kazuichi moved aside and started towards his bed. Hajime closed the door and approached the yellow bean bag in the corner of the room, falling onto it with a poof. The boy dug his hand into the plastic bag and took out the contents.

“Think fast,” Hajime threw the potato chips at Kazuichi’s face and he almost yelped.

“Hey, what was tha–! Oooh, potato chips!” He cooed. Hajime rolled the Coke over to the other and got a few thanks. Opening the soda, Kazuichi took a sip and then poured the entire Coke bottle into the small plastic bin with pieces of rusting scrap metal. The sizzling pops of carbonation left a fizz of brown bubbles at the top. 

The pink-haired boy stood up. Kazuichi looked at Hajime and Hajime looked at Kazuichi… and he placed the bottle near his crotch. The soda rained down on the poor drowning scraps as the liquid fell over it like a waterfall. 

Hajime snorted before rolling a Blue Ram across the floor. “If your piss is that acidic you should go to the doctor.”

Kazuichi laughed and sat back down, emptying the last contents of the Coke. He put the cap back on and tossed it into the garbage bin.

“Kobe,” he said.

“Kobe,” Hajime reminisced.

“Hey, thanks for the soda, I was about to get some until you came,” Kazuichi lightly kicked the bin as the Coke splashed around the obstacle course of metals. “It’s such a cheap way to get rid of rust. Isn’t that crazy? People  _ drink _ this every day.”

_ “You _ drink that every day.”

“I  _ used _ to drink this every day! C’mon, man, don’t shame me.” Kazuichi picked up the Blue Ram on the floor, pushing in the lid as it let out a short hiss. He actually drank this energy drink and didn’t pour it into the bin this time. Hajime opened up his bag of potato chips and threw one into his mouth.

“Alright, so, think about this,” Kazuichi started, licking his lips. As he placed the can onto his bedside table he had an enthusiastic grin on his face. “Y’know those soccer field chalk machines? The ones that paint the grass with lines?”

“Mm,” Hajime hummed as he munched on a few chips.

“I’m gonna put an engine in it. And it’s gonna  _ go.” _

Hajime shook his head and swallowed. “No.”

“What?! Just think about it!” Kazuichi protested. He got up and walked up to his desk, picking up a few papers. The boy walked towards Hajime and kneeled in front of him. Shoving the sketches into the brunet’s face, Kazuichi held a determined stare. “I put an engine in and it’ll go for miles! It’s ingenious! I bet Miu’s totally gonna get her rocks hard over this.”

“Y’know what’s gonna happen?” Hajime droned.  _ “I bet  _ that thing is gonna startup, do the typical rumble that all your engine hybrids do, and then go shooting across the campus. Extra points it’ll break a wall or two.”

Kazuichi’s arms dropped along with the papers in his hands. “That only happened once, okay? Who’s to say I haven’t learned from that?”

“It was a baby stroller.”

“It was light! I accidentally got too much of a powerful engine and one thing led to another,” Kazuichi gestured with his hands. “I’m still gonna do it.”

“That’s not a good idea,” Hajime warned. Whenever he warned an Ultimate, they never listened. “The stroller didn’t break a wall, but that thing? That thing is gonna break a wall.”

“Ooh! What if it broke the fourth wall?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” 

Kazuichi had stars in his eyes while he analyzed the messy sketches in his hands. Hajime could feel the excitement radiating off the other in waves. Tomorrow was going to be a crazy day. A part of him wanted to know what would happen next, but another part wanted to keep Kazuichi from embarrassing himself once again. Hajime felt like he somewhat contributed to the soccer machine’s future havoc since he gave Kazuichi that Coke. The metal parts inside the bin probably belonged to the engine.

“What are the metal scraps for?” Hajime decided to ask.

“Another project I’m working on,” Kazuichi replied, finally taking his eyes off the papers and placing them back on his unorganized desk. “A commission! Guess what it is.”

“Well, I take it it’s not an engine so…” Hajime looked at the drowning metals and thought long and hard. “By the looks of it, since they’re so square, I would say they’re part of some crazy rustic box, but.”

“Close. It’s a picture frame. The commissioner said I could add my own little touch, so I used my engine tinkering skills and made it have that type of look.” 

He never expected the Ultimate Mechanic to create a picture frame, but adding that feeling of gears and engines seemed really cool. The fact that Kazuichi wasn’t only focused on vehicular projects made Hajime remember that a mechanic also handled machines and not rumbling, smoking, loud motors. “Who’s the project for?”

“Nagito,” Kazuichi said with a teasing tone, his grin revealing sharp teeth.

“Him. It’s for Nagito,” Hajime mumbled. 

“Yep! Now that I think about it…” the boy rested his chin in the palm of his hand as his elbow leaned against his knee. An amusing glint gleamed in his pink eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with you delivering it to him.”

“As much as I appreciate the offer–Kazuichi, what does he need a picture frame for?” Hajime curiously asked. People don’t usually get someone to make a special picture frame for themselves. There has to be another person in the picture, no pun intended. He hoped it was for a family member or something because if it was for someone else… 

“Kirumi!” Kazuichi gave a smile. “Oh. Kirumi…” Kazuichi didn’t give a smile.

“Kirumi…” Hajime felt his heart drop. His hand stopped halfway in the chip bag as the plastic crinkled a bit.

“H-hey! There can be a logical explanation for this,” he fervently blurted. “Like, maybe they’re cousins?”

Hajime shook his head and leaned into the beanie bag. He was being eaten alive by the smooshed chair and he wished it could consume him faster. “The lunch thing you couldn’t come to, Nagito was there. Fuyuhiko brought up Kirumi and you know what he said?”

He didn’t leave time for Kazuichi to reply.

“Why does Kirumi leave your house so much? Is there something else going on?” Hajime did a pathetic impersonation of Fuyuhiko, meaning he lowered his voice by a few pitches. “And then Nagito says Kirumi is his maid. ‘Cause his  _ parents are on a business trip. A fucking. Business trip.” _

“Oooooh. Yikes. That does not sound good…”

Hajime liked hanging out with Kazuichi because he was able to be himself around him. He was able to be a bit vulnerable at times, he was able to complain without any backlash, he was able to talk about his life without judgment. Sometimes he hung out with Kazuichi because he wanted a good laugh and it seemed like the two mixed well when it came to jokes and stupidity. He was also glad that Kazuichi knew what ‘home alone with a girl for a month without parental supervision’ meant. 

“I freaked out! I asked if all of us can have a guys hangout at his house but then that turned into a full-blown party idea and now he’s planning on throwing a party with a bunch of teenagers inside a mansion with the abilities to have a dance-off, karaoke, a Hometown Buffet, a goddamn great party, and I don’t know if I said this but  _ teenagers,” _ Hajime took a deep breath. “I’m so fucked.”

There was a long silence as they both thought about this. Hajime felt bad for souring the mood with his pessimism, but he had to get this out somehow. For some reason, he couldn’t stop, though. Hajime sighed and furrowed his brows. 

“He thinks of me as  _ just a classmate! _ ”

“Woah, woah, woah. Where did this come from? How do you know this?”

The brunet quickly pieced together a lie and shot the bullet. “Overheard him talking about me for a brief second and that’s when he referred to me as just a classmate. I don’t know what he was talking about beforehand, but I’m sure it wasn’t important.”

“‘Kay, well, there has to be another reason for this, ya?” When Hajime looked up, Kazuichi had a hopeful smile. “I’m not gonna ignore the fact that things aren’t lookin’ too good right now, but maybe, if we dug around a bit, we can get to the bottom of this?”

“Kazuichi, a model, with his face on almost every billboard, is home alone every day with a pretty, mature–pardon me, but  _ hot _ girl,” Hajime sat up like a corpse being reanimated. “And what are the chances he’s straight?!”

Kazuichi pursed his lips and tilted his head.  _ “Phew, _ you got a point there, she is pretty hot–”

“Not helping.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay, okay, but! You gotta build some confidence, alright? Even if you’re just fakin’ it! And I’ll help you figure out if Nagito and Kirumi are. Y’know. A thing. And then Nagito and you can run off and do gay things or whatever when we find out they  _ aren’t  _ a thing.”

Hajime dragged his hand down his face and groaned. He couldn’t keep on thinking about this or he would burst. He was on the phone with Nagito twenty minutes ago and the amount of euphoria he had was completely trumped by reality. Mister Bug was great with Nagito, he could make him laugh and all that crap, but Hajime? What could Hajime do? Walk into him and drop all of his books on the ground? Do nothing while the poor guy has to pick up his textbooks? Hajime cursed under his breath.

“Let’s do something,” Hajime snapped.

“Like what?”

The boy got out of the bean bag chair and wiped his salty fingers on his pants. He wasn’t in the mood to care about looks at the moment. “Let’s do something. Go to the store, run around. Break something, I don’t know.”

“Break something?” Kazuichi dragged out the last word in such an idiotic way, with such an idiotic smile, that made Hajime know something was up the boy’s sleeve.

“What, do you have something in mind?”

“… I was gonna say Ryoma’s tennis court, but it’s probably not open since the guy’s stuck in a prison schedule like glue, so. No…” Kazuichi sighed. Unless he considered hitting tennis balls across the court as breaking things, then it was an idea that wouldn’t work out. It seemed as if he was going to wave the white flag before his face brightened up once again. “Let’s go to the store instead! We can buy junk food so you can feel better.”

Hajime nodded his head with a smile. “Alright.”

That’s how the two found themselves in the store located inside of the Hope’s Peak dorms. It was located near the back area of the first floor’s common room so they didn’t have to travel far. The sun had already set and the night sky blanketed over the city. It was a matter of time before the store closed so they had to pick things out fast. Opening the glass door, Hajime walked in followed by Kazuichi. It didn’t seem like anyone was in here but the cashier near the front.

Hope’s Peak gave paychecks to Ultimates who volunteered to work the store’s cashier after school. Since Hajime hadn’t been here for a while, the new face was surprising. Sitting behind the counter was a short boy with messy light brown hair and two jackets on layering over each other. He had to admit, the store was a bit cold, so good for him for thinking ahead.

“Hey, Makoto!” Kazuichi gave a swift wave and smiled a lazy grin. The other boy looked up from the game on his phone and smiled back.

“What’s up?”

Kazuichi patted Hajime’s back a bit too harshly. “Got my friend over here. He’s not living in the dorms, he’s only visiting.”

“My name’s Hajime. You’re Makoto, the first-year lucky student, right?” The two approached the front counter in a way to continue their conversation. Makoto had turned off his phone and put it face down, which was pretty polite. It kind of reminded Hajime of how students had to turn the phone face down while in class. 

“That’s me! How about you? What’s your talent?”

“We’re both the same, I’m a lucky student as well,” Hajime said. Makoto’s light green eyes lit up. How could this guy make everything he heard fascinate him? It seemed as if he was filled with some rare type of kindness. 

“Wow! It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Makoto leaned forward in his chair. “I’m a normal dude, so when I got the invitation, it took me a couple of minutes to actually process it! You’d never expect a letter from Hope’s Peak inside of your mailbox, am I right?”

Hajime agreed. “The day I got mine was probably the happiest I’ve ever been. My parents took me out to some high tier restaurant to celebrate. It’s a bit odd, considering I didn’t do anything but celebrating it was fitting.”

“Which restaurant did you go to?” 

“Y’know, I can’t remember,” he laughed. “You’d think I would remember, but no.”

Makoto exhaled through his mouth as he was trying to pick out his memories. The boy leaned back in his chair, hands on the counter. Hajime didn’t notice Kazuichi sneaking around the candy aisles picking out random snacks to hoard for the week. “The day I got the letter was really hectic. Before, I mean. I didn’t think anyone would believe me, but believe it or not, I got in a hostage situation on a bus before getting it! Things kept on getting worse and worse, but the acceptance letter balanced it all out. It was like life was testing me, haha!” The boy rubbed the back of his neck.

“You got into a hostage situation?!” Hajime exclaimed. “What happened?”

“It was crazy! I was trying to chase an old guy to give him back his lost phone before he went on a bus. I tripped and accidentally uncovered all these jewels a thief stole and then the hostage thing started,” Makoto chuckled as he thought back on it. “No one was hurt, I don’t think. I hope no one was really hurt mentally either, but the thief exits the bus and steals a mailman’s scooter, trips the front wheel on a bottle I bought from before, and then the whole thing goes up in flames. Including the mail. That sucks, though,” he tapped his finger against his thigh.

“All the destroyed mail?” Hajime asked.

“Yeah. Sometimes I think about it and wonder if there were letters from families in there. Or bills. Sucks for the people who had a power outage that month!”

“I’m glad you came to Hope’s Peak. It’s good to see someone who’s… Normal?” Hajime leaned in slightly in order to keep Kazuichi from hearing, lowering his voice in the process. “I spent a whole year in this school surrounded by crazy people. Sometimes it feels like you can’t get a break from their chaos.”

“Tell me about it!” Makoto’s eyebrows raised. “We’re almost a month in and all of my classmates are a bit kookie. It’s a big change compared to my middle school, too. I mean, I never thought it was legal to have the title of Ultimate Soldier in our class.”

“Hope’s Peak doesn’t bore. You must’ve heard about the Ultimate Supreme Leader or the Ultimate Yakuza by now,” Hajime said.

“Yeah, it’s  _ insane.  _ The tamest ones I’ve heard outside of my class were the Ultimate Caregiver and the Ultimate Gamer. But the crazier ones I’m afraid to approach, you get me?” He restlessly said. “I really like to make friends, so it’s hard to build up the courage and talk to them.”

Kazuichi popped up out of nowhere with his shirt cradling snacks like a crib. He piled them onto the counter as the candy wrappers crackled against each other in an avalanche. Hajime was used to this, but Makoto stared at the mound in surprise.

“I’ll give you a tip!” Kazuichi smirked. “The Ultimate Anthropologist, Korekiyo Shinguji? Don’t even try talking to him. He’s a total creep and he’ll probably kill your whole family or something!” He laughed.

Makoto looked up at the mechanic with his mouth parted. “R-really?”

Hajime wanted to deny the joke, but it definitely had an underlying truth to it. “Don’t scare him, idiot.”

“Alright, alright,” he chuckled. Makoto began scanning the candy and stacking them inside plastic bags. It was obvious he was dwelling on searching up Korekiyo after this.

“Don’t listen to him, he’s only joking…” Hajime stalled, crossing his arms. “But, yeah. Don’t talk to him. On the other hand, you don’t have to worry about talking to anyone else. You’ll find a few rotten apples but in all honesty? Their talent makes up for their shitty personality.”

“Teruteru?” Kazuichi asked.

“Definitely Teruteru.”

Makoto tilted his head up to take a glance at them for a second. “Who’s that?”

“He’s super perverted. The type of perverted who would probably act on it if you hang out with him long enough,” Hajime said.

“And you’re not safe either! He goes for both teams!”

“I-is he… The Ultimate Chef?” Makoto questioned. “He’s the short one with the curly, pointy, hairstyle, right?”

Kazuichi and Hajime nodded in sync.

Makoto visibly shivered as he placed a Milky Way into the second bag. “Ugh, he was acting all weird around my friend Asahina the other day. He was really uncomfortable. I hope he can learn from his actions soon.”

“Yeah, don’t we all,” Kazuichi said. “But when you taste his food, all of your problems melt away! It’s like a special potion you never knew you needed in life. Hell, I bet he can make the simplest food taste like heaven.”

“Woah, I’ll have to try it sometime then!” Makoto said eagerly. “My old school’s lunch was awful. My friend went to America for a foreign exchange program and even their school’s lunch wasn’t as bad as mine. Hope’s Peak’s food is already great, but it’d be so cool if I was able to taste Teruteru’s food too.”

“They went to America? How was it?” Kazuichi asked.

“He said America was–” Makoto was interrupted by his phone’s timer going off. The boy stopped bagging the snacks and picked up his phone to turn it off. “It’s about closing time, sorry about that. Lemme finish bagging.”

A few minutes passed as Makoto talked about some things his friend remembered from traveling abroad. Once he finished bagging, he handed them to Kazuichi and the other handed Makoto the money. As they exited the store, Hajime asked if the first-year needed help closing, but apparently he had it under control. He was glad another lucky student had arrived. Having to deal with all of these insane classmates were starting to eat away at Hajime’s stamina meter, in Chiaki’s words. Hajime wasn’t sure how he was able to do homework, deal with classmates, and be Mister Bug at the same time, but he supposed he managed.

After spending his last remaining time with Kazuichi in his dorm room, playing videogames, and snacking on goods which would come back and bite him in his ass later on, Hajime said his goodbyes and left the dorms. Walking across the campus at 10 PM wasn’t something he was exactly used to. He passed the closed-off central plaza and even passed a few students strutting around and chatting with their friends. The boy felt a rustling in his pocket and he soon realized something.

Vyxaam exploded out of his jacket’s pocket with a face of pure grief. Hajime froze in place and stared at the Kwami rubbing his hands over his cartoonishly large eyes. Sometimes he wondered if his eyes took up more space than his brain did.

“I’m free!” Vyxaam cried. “I hate it in your pocket! Your body heat gets your phone all hot and then I get all hot and there’s no end in sight! If I could, I would’ve called animal rescue services on you long before now!”

“Oops…” Hajime mumbled. The two were situated underneath a street lamp. Both Hajime’s and Vyxaam’s shadow cast upon the cement below them, so it was good that no one was around them at the moment.

The Kwami flew around in an exasperated manner like he was trying to drive all of his thoughts together by pacing around. His eyes were squinting and the frown seemed permanent upon Vyxaam’s face. “You realize I can hear everything in your pocket right? I heard it when you were talking on the phone with Nagito! What do you take me for, huh? Huh?”

“I-it’s not my fault! You should’ve seen this coming, y’know,” he argued, his arms crossed over his chest. “I had the chance and I took it. You’d do the same thing if you were capable of feelings.”

_ “I, _ am _ very _ capable of feelings! But as Mister Bug, you have to learn to control your desires!”

“Nothing bad will happen because of this, I swear–”

“Nothing bad will happen ‘cuz of what?” A voice appeared from behind Hajime. The brunet’s head almost popped out of his neck when he twisted around to face the newcomer. “And who are you talking to?”

Kokichi stared at him with curious eyes. The boy leaned to his left and then to his right as he tried to find the person Hajime was talking to. Soon enough, he faltered and restored to waiting for the brunet’s answer.

“Erm. Bluetooth,” Hajime quickly stirred up. He made sure to face his other ear away from Kokichi at a certain angle. The lamplight from above didn’t help him at all.

“Mm, you sure? Or are you going crazy?” Kokichi leaned in. Hajime instinctively took a step back. “If I wasn’t mistaken, I think I saw you talking to a toy doll!”

It soon clicked that Kokichi knew about his identity as Mister Bug, at least according to Chat Noir. Being alone with the boy was probably not a good idea. Hajime had to find his way out of this as quickly as possible.

“Yep. I like talking to dolls. I gotta go now.”

“Wait, wait, wait, where are you going? We just started talking!” Kokichi whined.

* * *

Kokichi didn’t go after Hajime. He saw Hajime disappear behind the trees as he ventured down the path, never turning back. His shoulders drooped from the rejection, along with his frown. Instead, after a few moments, Kokichi lifted his spirits back up and dug his hand into his pocket. Opening the letter, he skimmed it over once again.

_ “Wow! A member of DICE has recognized  _ me! _ Whatever can I do to give back to you, Kokichi Ouma? _

_ I gasp! I gasp again as an idea pops into my head! That’s right! The one and only, myself, Hawkmoth the despairful villain, invite you to a meeting! You said I worked with you during Shuichi’s Akumatization? How about we make that a reality? _

_ Huh, huh, huh? Is that an exciting smile I see? Ah, you’re making me blush… On Monday, midnight, near Hope’s Peak fountain in the middle of the campus, visit me! Oh, I’m so thrilled! Me and you, you and I, Kokichi Ouma and The Hawkmoth, working together to wreak havoc across Paris. Only you can choose to make this come true. The power you’ll have will be amazing!  _

_ Love, the elegant, perfect, Hawkmoth.” _

Kokichi stared at the pouting red lipstick marked at the bottom of the page.

“Hawkmoth’s a girl. Huh.”


	10. This wasn’t how he wanted to walk down the aisle for their wedding.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hajime's unlucky day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eek i fixed a little mistake in the last chapter where hajime said kirumi was nagitos housekeeper for months and months, but i fixed it to only say shes been a housekeeper for only a month. its just a little mistake and i hope it doesnt confuse any of you
> 
> anyway, ive changed the tags, there will be despair in this au, but its nothing like the one in canon. junko is just being junko and that means despair ya know what i mean

It was midnight. The gate to the central plaza was closed and locked away from any visitors at this time. Except it wasn’t keeping Kokichi out of its midst. The small boy held the gate’s railings between his hands and pulled himself up. Expertly, after time and time of doing this exact same thing, Kokichi hovered above the obstacle and jumped onto his two feet. The grass he landed on surrounded an area of pavement, which surrounded the dreaded fountain where he would meet the one and only.

As he took slow strides over the grass, Kokichi noticed some sprinklers that were going off at the moment. The aroma of freshly watered earth was already invading his sense of smell once he took a step onto the sidewalk. Some parts of the pavement were already soaked from the water, revealing a darker shade of grey to its color. Kokichi stepped over them in a meager game he threw together in his head.

The fountain across from him had stopped spouting water from its top, and instead, it laid vacant as the water was now sitting idly with the moonlight’s gaze upon its ripples. Kokichi gripped the lapels of his jacket and brought them closer to his chest. He’d carelessly thrown on these clothes, he couldn’t help it. Today was a crazy day and he didn’t have time to put together a better outfit! And by crazy, he had meant that it had been a casual day at Hope’s Peak.

The note in his pocket felt ten times heavier once a figure appeared from behind a tree. They seemed to be staring at him from beyond the shadows. Kokichi felt a strike of fear crawl down his spine, but he stood his ground waiting for the person to come forward. As eerie as it was, the figure came walking forward with a strike of confidence in their high-heeled steps.

Two large, strawberry blonde pigtails stuck up from the top of her head, a black cane in one hand, swinging around with ease like a toy. Once her figure was illuminated by the lamplight, the woman’s face appeared as well. Much to Kokichi’s disappointment, her eyes were covered by a shining grey mask so it was out of the picture to try and pinpoint who this person was. Seriously, who in the world could have two large pigtails like that? 

Moving on, her outfit was quite striking as she wore a purple suit. The front was open to reveal… A lot of her chest area. Thankfully, it closed near the bottom. Two long strands of the purple top dragged down towards the floor and a black skirt laid snuggly underneath. Black thigh-high stockings almost touched the top of her short skirt, and below that were long, slim, purple high heels that clicked against the pavement.

Common sense told Kokichi that this was, in fact, Hawkmoth. In all her glory, in all her authority, and all her fashion sense, the intimidating villain took fearless steps that Kokichi knew were most definitely not made of lies. She meant every powerful step and bold smirk written across her lips. Alarms blared signaling that Hawkmoth was nothing to mess around with and the freezing stare she shot his way verified that.

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting you to come!” Hawkmoth said. Her voice was taunting, yet polished and controlled.

The boy felt the metaphorical mask he wore slowly sliding off his face, so he rolled back his shoulders and puffed out his chest, pressing the mask back into position. “Eh. I was bored. I had nothing else to do today.” 

“Is that so?” She cooed. Her hands, still holding onto the cane, rose towards her chest in a loving gesture. Her head tilted to the side and her back straightened even more. “The Supreme Leader, having nothing else to do but to see me? Aww, I really am that special to you~.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. If you think I’ll be teaming up with you for the hell of it, think again.”

Her mood completely changed. One second, she had a fearless attitude, the next, she sulked and stared at the ground with sorry eyes. “You’re right. I shouldn’t get ahead of myself.”

Kokichi furrowed his brows and thought about this. Hawkmoth wasn’t exactly serious. She wasn’t some scary militia-seeming leader, either. She was just… Unpredictable? Although, a part of him told himself to think long and hard. Hawkmoth had something up her sleeve and she would most definitely use it against Kokichi. 

“Why did you originally want to meet up with me?”

“You ask a lot of questions, how exciting! I suppose it’s necessary when in these types of situations, dealing deals, discussing plans. You  _ are _ leading 10,000 members in your cute organization! I’d love to be apart of that!” Hawkmoth took a step forward. It seemed like the ground erupted in tremors. “Having an expert liar on my side would serve great use to me. You can be the one who makes the ties, gathers information, blah, blah, blah.”

She would use him, of course. He knew that. But why did it feel like that wasn’t the only reason she was recruiting Kokichi? Maybe coming here was a bad idea… 

“Wow! Gathering information! That’s my most favorite thing to do in the whole wide world! When do I start?”

“Oh,  _ shuddup, ya lying bastard!” _ She yelled in annoyance. Kokichi almost froze on the spot as his heart pitter-pattered inside of his chest. “Stop bein’ so fuckin’ annoying and listen! I know you’re lyin’ about the whole “supreme leader” bullshit so how about ya learn from the best and learn you’re place! A little orphan like you is just as worthless at the next, seriously!”

Now he did freeze on the spot. “Orphan…? I don’t know about you, but I have two loving parents waiting for me at home!”

“Shove it. I know everything about you,” the twisted frown upon her face automatically morphed into a crooked smile. “Even the names of all your DICE members. It’d be a shame if someone leaked all of their plans to the authorities.”

“Nee-heehee!” Kokichi strained out a laugh. “You think I care about them? They’re just pawns!”

“Having only 9 members in your organization acting as pawns? Babe, even  _ you _ don’t think that’s right. Quit lyin’ to yourself or you’re gonna be a  _ lonely _ orphan soon.”

He really tried to keep his voice under control, he tried to mimic the ease of her talk, but in some cases, he felt his tone waver in all the wrong places. His hands were shaking. How the hell did she know all of this? Kokichi stood still and stared at the villain in front of him. Maybe blackmailing Mister Bug and Chat Noir came back to bite him in the ass, but whatever the case, things were not looking great. He had to calm down. 

Placing his hands behind his head, Kokichi traced a smile on his lips similar to the one Hawkmoth wore. “You got me! Damn, this sucks…!” He laughed. “I guess I have to go along with your plan, huh?”

“I’m so glad!” She jumped up and down. It was insane how she managed to keep her balance on those thin heels when they looked like they could snap at any moment. Hawkmoth squealed in delight and took another step forward. The approaching danger created a sour feeling inside Kokichi’s gut. “It toootally would’ve sucked if they uncovered the digging Aina has been up to, ya get me?”

Kokichi bit his tongue and tried not to yell behind his smirking facade. He mentally cursed her. He cursed her again and again until she spoke up once more. “I know all your tips and tricks, Kokichi. I know you lie about everything from your actions down to your bones. It’s not that hard to figure out, ya know! You’re only pretending to be evil, but, in reality, this is all a trick, isn’t it?”

His toes curled and his teeth ground against each other. 

“You plan to instill justice once you’ve persuaded everyone that you’re ‘powerful’ and shit– _ eugh!”  _ She pretended to gag. “Justice, justice, justice, it’s so  _ booooring! _ It’s all about the fuckin’ despair, baby!”

Kokichi felt his smile falter before he attempted to stretch it even more.

“Imagine how despair-inducing it would be to go against your cliche vendetta and help the enemy! How will your crappy little comrades react when all their work goes down the drain? How will their faces look?!  _ Bahahaha!” _

“I’ll be your sort of mole I take it,” Kokichi finally said. His arms had already fallen towards his sides.

“That’s right, you’re catchin’ on!”

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time,” he lied. The bright question still flashed in his mind, however. What would Hawkmoth need a mole for? She steals Miraculouses. Rumor has it, that once she retrieves both Mister Bug’s and Chat Noir’s Miraculouses, she can grant a wish of her choosing. Maybe Hawkmoth wants him to trick the two heroes in some way in order to achieve that wish?

Unless this has something to do with that despair she had been going on about…?

“I have to admit, though,” Hawkmoth began. “Your DICE members are incredibly sneaky. All the planning they did and the work they completed just to trick Hope’s Peak into recruiting you as an Ultimate? It makes you think how fragile this school really is… Eh! Whatever!”

Kokichi smiled with his hands behind his back. His fingernails etched into his knuckles and left behind crescents. “And I thought  _ I _ was the liar!” He almost stammered.

Hawkmoth placed her finger against her chin and tilted her head in a way to mimic Kokichi. “Who are you calling a liar?”

He felt his feet dig into the ground beneath him and if he pressed his heels hard enough, maybe he could crack it into dozens of little pieces. The lies which usually graced the tip of his tongue seemed stagnant, stuck in his throat, and his chest, and his lungs unable to crawl back up and save him from this mess, or bury him deeper, if he hadn’t learned from his past experiences before. All Kokichi could do was stare with a rigid, sore back as his dark hair cut into his cheeks from the occasional gust of wind flowing beside the two. It all hit him a while ago, how he walked into a brick wall that threatened to fall over and crush his plans and decimate his progress like he was a house of cards. 

The face of unpredictability, possibly insanity, faced the boy across from him with a false form of delight. Just a minute ago she was furious, but now she was carefree with a quirk in her lips. “You’re going to work with me. Exciting! I know. Use that serpent’s tongue to throw them into despair, and after that, I’ll do all the work. I sure am a hard-working independent woman, so working for me should be an honor, ya know. Oh! And the way you were able to manipulate Shuichi’s goal before he was Akumatized? That was so odd. I wasn’t expecting him to want to  _ aid _ you instead of rip you to shreds.”

It took all of his self-control not to grind his teeth again and again, that memory still clear in his mind lingering with a drop of regret. His nails continued to dig deeper into his knuckles, all of his concern thrown out the window when thinking about how feeble and breakable skin can be. 

“Who do you have in mind?”

“I plan on attacking the Ultimates. Talentless people are way too boring to Akumatize,” she placed two fingers on her temple as she spoke in a bored, monotonous voice, almost like she had a headache. “Plus, Ultimates already have a perfect layout for their villainous personas, yeah? All that needs to happen is their final push before I can get my hands on them. It’s as easy as that!”

“How are you going to contact me?”

“The same way I did before, dummy!”

Kokichi forgot what happened next. One moment he was desperately clawing at his knuckles to ease the thoughts of his faltering plans, the next he remembered agreeing to Hawkmoth’s idea, and the next he found himself climbing above the courtyard’s gate and back outside. He didn’t want to be in this situation. Why did he agree to come? Was it because he wanted to know what she had in store for him? Kokichi was the type of person who thinks ahead, but in no way was he expecting this. This blackmail. 

_ Shit! Shit! Shit! What is he gonna do? _ Should he tell DICE? What would happen if he didn’t? Would all their plans go down the drain?

Kokichi didn’t know what to do.

* * *

Lunch at Hope’s Peak was crowded, loud, and eventful to say the least. Rarely anyone would leave the school when they ate because, to put it bluntly, the food here was just as good, if not better than the restaurants outside the campus. Hell, it didn’t even cost anything for both Ultimates and Reserve Course students alike. Eating was also allowed outside of the cafeteria, as there were students eating in the courtyard and in various classrooms scattered about. Two hours of free time inside a school that never failed to bore was practically free entertainment as well, so lunch was a favorite for everybody.

Right now, instead of eating inside of the cafeteria, Hajime sat on a bench near the garden along with Chiaki, Akane, Nekomaru, Fuyuhiko, and Peko. Every day a new amount of people would join his group, and every day a few left. They came and went, then came again and went again, it’s been like this ever since he’d attended Hope’s Peak. The two permanent people were Chiaki and Kazuichi, but the mechanic wasn’t here because he was probably shoving an engine into that soccer field chalk machine thing. Hajime was right when he said Ultimates never listened.

A few birds chirped on top of the arbors above them. Red, white, and brown flowers nested against the many arches lining the garden’s aisle as a flowery aroma embraced the bunch of them. The structures provided shelter against the October wind that had been in hibernation for a while. So in short, it was nice. 

Chiaki’s shoes clicked against the stone path beneath them as she pressed her game control buttons like a mad man–er, woman. Her tray of food sat on her lap waiting to be eaten, too. Hajime hoped some bugs didn’t fly down and take a bite of her lunch, but it wouldn’t be the first time that had happened. Last time it had been a bird.

“Yo, you gonna eat that?” Akane asked the girl. Akane sat with Nekomaru on the bench across from him and Chiaki. Already, her lunch tray was wiped clean, and knowing Akane she was bound to get seconds. Chiaki kept on clicking away until Akane asked once more, and finally, her thumb pressed the start button to pause the game as her pink eyes dragged over to Akane. 

“Oh, I forgot,” Chiaki mused. She put her game on the bench and picked up her fork to eat. When Hajime looked over towards Akane, her face was so crestfallen that he had to stifle a laugh.

It was kind of rude, in his opinion, that he found a spot that only had two benches. Fuyuhiko and Peko sat on the ground beside him and Chiaki as they ate and shared a few of their thoughts together. They were  _ Yakuza, _ but it seemed as if they didn’t mind doing so. Hajime took a bite out of his food. Maybe attending Hope’s Peak made them feel like they were on equal grounds with everyone else? He smiled at the thought.

And so it was peaceful to listen to the birdsong and the chatters of his friends. It was relaxing, to just sit and enjoy each other’s company.

Well, it  _ was _ relaxing because now a mop of white hair was approaching them from down the garden aisle. In a matter of seconds, Hajime’s heart was ascending towards his throat and his fingers that wrapped around his fork were getting clammy. The way Nagito carried himself with a chin held high and a refined step and a bounce to his hair and the picture frame in his hands and a–

_ Wait. _

Oh god, the memories were starting to flood in from last night. Those pieces of scrap metal that Kazuichi had in his bedroom, covered in Coke no less, but those metal pieces were finally together and they most likely held the intimacy Nagito shared with Kirumi. Red alarms echoed throughout his head so Hajime kept his head down and shoved a bite into his mouth, almost gagging.

“Ah, hello,” Nagito greeted. His friends voiced their brief hellos. Hajime hummed as he chewed.

“What’s the picture frame for?” Fuyuhiko went straight to the point. Sometimes Hajime wondered if it was a blessing or a curse. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chiaki lazily stroll her sight towards Nagito, a piece of rice on her lip.

“It’s a gift for Kirumi for being my housekeeper, but I wouldn’t expect you to remember since it was a while ago.”

“Hey, you sayin’ I’m dumb? It was two days ago.”

Nagito’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, that’s not what I’m saying–”

“–Don’t worry about it, I’m only kidding with you,” the blond laughed as he got up from the ground. He approached the boy and punched his arm playfully. Hajime saw Fuyuhiko’s eyes skim over him as a way to say ‘look at what we have here.’ No crap, look what we have here, he felt his cheeks blush just looking at Nagito.

“Kirumi, huh? How long has she been your housekeeper?” Nekomaru asked after taking a drink from his water.

“She’s been a housekeeper for my family on and off. My parents are always on business trips so that’s usually when she comes in and helps clean up the place, so, uh. For a few years, so far.”

A few years.

A few years… 

_ A few years?! _

Was his world spinning or were his eyes playing tricks on him? Through his vision, he saw Fuyuhiko hold out the picture frame that Nagito had passed over. God, the ground was breaking, his chest was breaking, everything was breaking. His chance of ever getting with Nagito was shattered but did he ever have a chance, to begin with? A Lucky student wanting to have a relationship with a model, it was a pure absurdity to even think it would happen. Hajime couldn’t compete with a girl who had a history with Nagito. He was stupid. Dammit, he was so stupid and careless and dumb.

Maybe Nagito had a thing for mature older women. Well, Kirumi was only a year older, but his point stood. Maybe they formed a relationship before coming to Hope’s Peak? They probably kept it on the down-low. And Kirumi, how lucky was she to have a boyfriend whose face was on perfume ads and billboards and a whole crowd of teenage boys and girls fawning over him–it actually didn’t sound appealing now that he thought about it, but his point  _ still stood.  _

Hajime was utterly and totally fucked. His standing in society was low, his chance with anybody at Hope’s Peak was low as well since he wasn’t anything special. All those talks at midnight with his friends about all of his insecurities seemed to be for nothing. It was nice to get shit off his back but that didn’t change anything about him. It was so idiotic to raise his standards like that, to–

“… jime…” 

–even think about having a crush on Nagito. He was too perfect. And Hajime was just… Hajime Hinata–

“… Hajime…”

–the kid with only good grades who was chosen at random to attend a school meant for gifted students, kids he could never stand up with at an equal level, kids who were better, talented, amazing while he was just that guy who hung around because of some lottery–

“Hajime!”

“E-eh?” 

Maybe he was overreacting just a bit…?

“If you’re gonna look at me for a long time at least let me know beforehand!” Akane said. Hajime felt his face heat up in two seconds flat, his thoughts automatically deteriorating on the spot. “So, for payment, can you gimmie some of Chiaki’s food? I mean, she’s back to playin’ her games.”

“Er, yeah. Sorry,” Hajime sighed. Turning to his right, he cautiously picked up the tray from Chiaki’s lap without a single protest coming from the girl’s lips. She was way too immersed to be considered healthy. The brunet stood up from the bench and handed the food to Akane which she immediately started digging in to. When he moved to go back to his seat, he realized Nagito was still here, still standing next to Fuyuhiko as the blond checked out the picture frame.

The worst part was Nagito staring at him with a sort of disappointment in his eyes. Directly at him. The model’s eyebrow rose and Hajime was a deer in the headlights.

“Staring at women like that? Not cool, Hajime…”

_ Erk! _

_ What happened to the time Nagito put his hand on his shoulder and said soothing words to him in his time of crisis? Crap, Nagito looked really mad!  _

“U-uh, no it wasn’t anything like that I swear.”

“Uh-huh…” Nagito trailed off. Hajime wanted to curl up in a ball. He wanted to curl up in a ball and hide in his bed. Damn Akane for already stuffing her mouth with food. He needed some support, but Nagito was already focused on something else entirely.

Fuyuhiko handed the picture frame back before cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders. “The decoration on the frame’s cool. Kazuichi made it, yeah–?”

Speaking of the devil, that’s when they heard it.

The sound of a motor engine.

An intense, low rumbling roar became louder and louder until a knee-high machine bolted straight towards them from down the aisle. Hajime nor Fuyuhiko didn’t have time to push Nagito out of the way when a dust cloud came barreling towards them. The poor guy got snatched. A yelp tore its way from Nagito’s lips when he fell back onto the vehicle, the handles behind him keeping him in place, but it was too late, not only for Nagito but for Hajime too.

He got snatched too.

His back was leaning against Nagito’s chest as they both screamed bloody murder. This wasn’t how he wanted to walk down the aisle for their wedding, this wasn’t how he envisioned it _at all._ The wind against his head blew his hair into Nagito’s face and the few bumps in which the vehicle jerked up almost pushed Hajime off. If he did fall off, he’d probably break his leg because, _damn Kazuichi_ _and his motor hybrid vehicle! It was going fast!_

Hajime planted his hands on the paint machine below him so he could keep his balance, however, that didn’t help when the vehicle shot through the garden of flowers and plants. Dirt and leaves flew into Hajime’s face and some even got into his mouth as he yelled. The brunet didn’t have time to choke on them because, as soon as they left that area, his whole outfit was covered in soil and flowers and  _ bugs. _

Once they were out of the woods, the engine was still going strong. A couple of times his shoe would scrape the ground and almost bend at an impossible angle unless he lifted his legs up higher. Students all over the campus moved way for them, some screaming in the process and some taking out their phones to record like the assholes they were but what else was there to do when the machine showed no signs of stopping! The wheels raced and raced and drove them down pathway after pathway it was so hard to keep count on where they were. 

Then a building was ahead of them. The cafeteria. The large windows glared at Hajime with its stupid sun gleam reflecting off of the glass. He could see his screaming figure and Nagito’s mop of hair flowing behind him as they approached it at a rapid speed. Hajime braced himself. He closed his eyes and tears prickled at the edges of them. He was gonna die. He was gonna die like this!

The engine sputtered. It groaned and smoked and, thank whatever God was out there, it began to slow down. The wind was still blowing into his face, but as Hajime took a peak, the glass was still an imminent force. Two arms wrapped around his midsection. Two arms wrapped around him? Nagito was hugging him. No, no, no he was wrapping his arms around him as a shield because the glass was getting closer and Hajime covered his face with his forearms and the warm sensation of Nagito’s head buried into his neck was nice but  _ now was not the time because he was– _

A crack almost reminiscent of lightning shattered in front of him. The machine took the first blunt force of the glass, yet that caused it to shatter and tear at his arms. Hajime felt his body flying through the falling shards along with Nagito hugging his back with all his might. It hurt like hell when he fell into the pool of glass on the ground and couldn’t breathe because of the arms wrapped around him. His lungs weren’t able to inhale any sort of air. Shit, he had to move, he had to get Nagito off his back or he would suffocate on all this glass and dirt.

Thankfully, the boy did. Hajime could finally take in a stuttered breath before he choked on some leaves or whatever the hell it was that was lodged into his throat. He turned his head to the side so he could finally get a bit more air until he saw Nagito lying on his back, chest rising and lowering in quick wheezes. In his hands was a metallic picture frame with two people, one which was obviously Nagito standing next to Kirumi, smiles on their faces. In his other hand? Flowers that came from the garden they just plummeted through.

Hajime groaned and lowered his head against his scarred arms. It hurt like a bitch. Everything hurt like a bitch and it ached.

“K-Kirumi!” Nagito called. Hajime furrowed his brows and cursed underneath his breath.

A shadow emerged from in front of them. The clicks of those shoes on the cracking glass. It filled Hajime with grief. 

“Nagito, what happened? Are you hurt?” Kirumi’s smooth voice echoed.

“I have a gift for you,” Nagito coughed, clearing his throat before talking more. “T-thank you for two years of your service. For being my housekeeper. I know it must–must be painstaking to worry about me so much, heh.”

The boy lifted the frame above him, the flowers in his other hand as well. Watching all of this play out, his crush on a model that was way too good for him, the one he had for two years despite meeting him since the beginning of this school year, it was like tearing a piece of his heart apart, again and again until it was nothing but scraps littering the floor like the glass beneath him. 

Please. He hoped he was overreacting about all of this. Hajime wanted to lie there, but he knew he had to get up some time. Slowly, hesitantly, he moved his head up, arm sliding around the shards as it pulsed with pain. He clenched his teeth.

“As much as I appreciate your present, Nagito, I am afraid we have much bigger concerns right now.”

“Ah,” Nagito contemplated. Hajime heard a few clinks of glass as if Nagito was turning his head. “I suppose you’re right.”

* * *

“S-sorry if this hurts, please tell me if you n-need me to stop,” Mikan’s voice stammered as she wiped some ointment against his arm's cuts. Hajime felt an aching pang spread from her touch, but nonetheless he stood his ground and took it head-on. 

The nurse’s office was quiet, as it usually was, with its white floors and its smell of alcohol hovering in the air. The sun shining through the windows glared past the thin curtains and spread across the room. Cabinets and counters filled with antibiotics, needles, jars, other things Hajime didn’t exactly know what to name, lined across the walls. The bleeding from his wounds had stopped, thankfully. He didn’t have anything serious, which was surprising considering the harsh clash he had with the glass no thanks to Kazuichi. He had to make a mental note to tear Kazuichi a new one once he talked to him. He also had to… 

What was he going to say to Nagito? He seemed pissed off at Hajime for staring off into space and accidentally staring at Akane, which was not a good look for him. But maybe, once Mikan was done, he could try and find him. He just had to drown those thoughts of Kirumi once he did.

“Mikan?”

“D-does it hurt? I’m sorry! I-I didn’t mean to–”

“No, you’re fine,” Hajime assured. He took a deep breath, one that seemed louder than it should’ve been because of the silence. “Was anyone hurt? I wasn’t able to focus on anything while I was down.”

“No, y-you and Nagito were the only ones with injuries. His w-wasn’t as bad as yours, though.”

“Oh, okay. That’s good.”

Thinking back, today was a rollercoaster. There was no doubt about it. After the whole incident, he couldn’t stop thinking about something Chat Noir said when they were eating inside of Le Jules Vernes. It was when the boy was going on about his usual rambles like always. It was hard to admit, but those rambles always dug underneath Hajime’s skin. Especially at a time right now, after everything that’s happened.

_ But out of your identity, you’re just another normal guy. There’s nothing important about you and there’s nothing you can do about it… Why not accept your role in society? _

In a way, he was surrounded by ‘somethings’ while he was a ‘nothing.’ He’d grow up to be like everyone else in the Reserve Course, a businessperson chosen by a top tier company, working day in and day out to appease his higher-ups. What difference did it make if he was a Lucky student? It was like shoving a bunch of gifted people into his face and screaming: you will never be on their level. Hajime loved his friends, but he just couldn’t stop comparing himself.

And being the Ultimate Lucky student was… It had its pros and cons. Being an Ultimate costs money, but not  _ nearly _ enough money that it costs the Reserve Course students to be here. And he was glad. He was so grateful to go to this school, yet, it did nothing to raise his confidence. He was still a faceless person in the crowd and he didn’t know what he could do to become something greater. His plan was Hope’s Peak, but what next? He thought Mister Bug could do something to his esteem. Maybe saving Paris would’ve lifted up his spirits, make him the shining light he’s always wanted to be. 

So why didn’t it satisfy him?

He was Hajime Hinata. He would be some businessman in some company that paid his bills. He was also Mister Bug, a hero (that swings around in some silly looking skin-tight suit). The thing was, they were two separate identities. One of them was who he really was, Hajime, that was his core. Yet his core didn’t feel like anything worthwhile. He would always be an ordinary guy, and for some annoying, pathetic reason, Hajime couldn’t handle that.

_ What could he do to become someone better? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im not saying i simp for junko... but i simp for junko and it shows
> 
> HERES A LINK TO A PIC I DREW OF HAWKMOTH JUNKO:  
> https://imgur.com/A7a7jII
> 
> and idk, but some of yall might be wondering if there will be izuru and, no, there will be no izuru. i dont want this fic to go through very depressing themes. i just want it to be a fun casual read for people to take their mind off some daily life yknow


	11. We’re not cars, Mister Bug.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sometimes i look at my writing and think...... what

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS MY BIRTHDAY! WOOHOO  
> i can now buy lottery tickets time to get CRONKED
> 
> AND TAKE THIS GIFT WORK @SkylerT_Gamer MADE!!! it's called Miraculous Mister Bug  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/25794727/chapters/62653579

Hajime found himself in the same place he was in yesterday. Kazuichi’s dorm room. Right after the  _ incident _ today, it would be a great place to start when approaching this situation. That, meaning a stern scolding. It was after school already, Hajime had done a walk of shame towards the dorms in Hope’s Peak and made a bee-line towards Kazuichi’s room. With the bandages wrapped around his arms and bandaids placed upon his cheek, forehead, and chin, it was hard to contort his face into something menacing that didn’t come off as a laughing matter. Because this wasn’t a laughing matter.

A part of him wished his injuries were worse so he didn’t have to go back to class. But nope, not today. Hajime went to class, glared Kazuichi down from his desk, and blessings to the fact that Nagito’s desk was farther in the front of the classroom because he would’ve hated having to deal with the model staring at the back of his head after what just happened. 

Whatever the case, Hajime was embarrassed. A few people had come up to him, had asked him how he was, what had happened, and he had to inform everyone about it, leading to even more thoughts about him and Nagito and his place on the chessboard in this whole society. Dammit, this day sucked and Hajime would take care of this just as anybody else would: venting. He wouldn’t sit, mind you, he would stand in the middle of Kazuichi’s room and look at the boy with his eyes of disappointment and fury all mixed into one. Kazuichi was sitting on his bed and staring up at the brunet in a fit of nervousness. Which was well deserved, of course.

“I know why you came here, and I just gotta say, I’m sorry for what happened.”

“Oh,” Hajime raised his eyebrow, arms crossed, “so you knew.”

Kazuichi fiddled his thumbs and hatched an awkward smile onto his lips. “Well, heh, when your chalk machine goes flying out of your workshop you’re bound to notice? I kinda saw you two laying down on the glass before Kirumi helped you guys up.”

Hajime looked elsewhere. At the stained rug on the ground, at the lamp Kazuichi made that stood on his nightstand, at his dresser, chipped and corroding in all its glory. Then the boy breathed through his nose and out his mouth in one final swoop. He uncrossed his arms and held them at his sides, relaxing his posture for what felt like ages. “Forget that, that’s not why I’m here.”

“Do you wanna play some video games?” Kazuichi grinned.

“No. Okay, well I’m here partly because of the machine, but for the majority, those things have nothing to do with what I’m trying to say.” Hajime turned around and fell against the bean bag, the one he’s fallen against way too many times to count. Sliding out of his backpack, he placed it on the ground a bit too harshly, in his opinion, but he wasn’t going to comment on that. Not right now when there were so many things on his mind. “I might be intruding on your free time, so if you want me out, just say the word.”

“Don’t worry, dude, you’re fine.” Kazuichi leaned against the wall behind his bed. “What’s goin’ on?”

“You know how I’ve been going on and on about Nagito? Sorry, but. Nagito handed Kirumi flowers with the picture frame.” Hajime stared up at the ceiling, hands resting against his stomach. He was glad Vyxaam wasn’t in his pockets because his fingers were faintly scrunching parts of his brown school uniform in some sort of stress-relieving habit.

“Jeez, does that sound crappy. I know I made him the frame and all, but I wasn’t expecting him to add some flowers into the mix.”

“Mm. So I guess he’s off the table. Why does it even matter, I never had a chance to begin with when they both have history together.”

Hajime heard Kazuichi tap against the foot of the bed’s headboard. He usually did that when he was concocting some weird ideas, ones that were either batshit dumb or surprisingly smart. “For some reason, I’m not falling for it.”

“Huh?” Hajime looked over at him.

“He keeps saying Kirumi’s his housekeeper or something like that, right?” Hajime nodded. “If that’s the case then why doesn’t he flat out tell everyone they’re a thing? I mean, his parents aren’t home so he doesn’t have anyone telling him what to do.”

“Maybe it’s because he has a reputation to protect. He’s a model.”

“Well, I don’t think that’s a reason to give up! I’d try learning more about him if I were you. Y’know, try getting closer, sneak in some things to talk about in order to get some answers.”

“It’s not just that, Kazuichi, I’m pretty sure Nagito hates me. I spaced out when I was hanging out with everyone else and I ended up staring at Akane, so she brought it up, Nagito took it the wrong way, and he had this upset look on his face.” Hajime lifted his arms and massaged his temple. “Then when we crashed. He barely even noticed me when he handed Kirumi his presents. I bet it’s because I’m the Ultimate Lucky Student. Or something.”

“It’s not ‘cuz you’re the Lucky Student,” Kazuichi sighed.

Hajime sat up. “You don’t get it because you’re… You. And I’m me. I’m the kid with no talent, nothing substantial about me, while you are some renowned mechanic. Like, you’re awesome. And I know we’ve had this talk before over and over again, but what am I supposed to do? How do I make myself someone I can be proud of when I can’t even get a guy I like?”

There was a pause as Kazuichi readjusted his position across from him. He looked at the corners of the room, placing together different parts of his thoughts in a way to make Hajime feel better, think better, it seemed. Sometimes he felt like he could be such a nuisance when he tried to vent about his feelings, but at least he had someone he could vent to. Even if it felt like he was stealing their time away.

“Hey, you know Shuichi’s parents?” Kazuichi said out of the blue.

“Uh, yeah. His dad owns that corner store.”

_ “Step _ -dad,” he held out his pointer finger. “His mom divorced his dad because I guess they got in some dispute over their careers. Y’know, his mom’s a screenwriter and his dad’s an actor–er old dad, I should say. Anyway, Shuichi’s mom divorced him, moved back to Paris, and found that same guy who runs the corner store. You wouldn’t expect some romance in there, but it’s basically what happened. Now they’re married. Happily ever after.”

Hajime’s brows raised. He was only learning about this now, he hasn’t heard about this from rumors or straight from Shuichi’s mouth despite how close they were. “So, you’re saying she found some cashier attractive and that led to a marriage?”

“Yep. And I’m also saying that it doesn’t matter if you’re an Ultimate or not. Nagito probably thought you were ogling Akane and that’s what made him all iffy around you. You can easily say sorry about that if you confront him about it.” Kazuichi flashed his toothy grin, a thumbs up resting against the bed frame. 

Hajime bit his cheek and leaned against the back of his hands. He studied the many stains on the rug, the oil dribbles, the plentiful amounts of Coke, the food stains. Then he finally managed to speak up once again. “Yeah, you’re right. I should try and talk to him about it.” 

Hajime grimaced ever so slightly as a thought invaded his mind. He hesitated before shoving away all of his cares and talking about it anyway. “Uhm. You ever feel a bit worthless at times? I should really stop comparing myself to all of you guys, and…” He trailed off.

“Hm. Worthless, huh?” Kazuichi said. “So you think talent is worth? I mean, talent can be worth  _ something, _ but I don’t think it equals worth, Hajime. That’s just my opinion.”

“Then  _ what _ equals worth?”

Kazuichi scratched his cheek in thought. “Contribution, maybe? I wouldn’t be an Ultimate if I hadn’t helped out with people’s machines and cars. I think it’s about makin’ people smile. Makin’ them happy or some cheesy stuff like that, y’know?”

That actually meant a lot. A lot, a lot. Hajime hasn’t ever thought about it like that before, and he felt a bit oblivious when it’s been in front of him this whole time, (of course, it had been in front of him this whole time). The answer was in Mister Bug. His alter ego was a symbol of safety and aid for the people of Paris, so what difference would it make if he could adopt those features and incorporate them into his normal life? Hajime held his chin in his hand and thought a bit longer until Kazuichi broke the silence.

“Did I change you or something like that?” Kazuichi humorously asked.

“I’m not gonna lie, but I think you did,” Hajime chuckled into his palm. “Hey, thanks for listening to me. It, uh. It means a lot.”

“Don’t mention it. If you wanna talk about anything I’ll be here. So. If you’re feelin’ better, you wanna play video games?”

“Yeah, alright.”

* * *

For a moment, the overcast sky reminded Hajime of Nagito’s wispy hair. The clouds drooped down with hazy swoops cupping the air in wavy curves, and above them floated large masses of clouds blocking the sun from reaching the ground. There was a bit of a windy chill circulating around and making his cheeks turn pink. For some reason, the rest of his body was kept warm, but Hajime supposed it was his suit’s old fashioned magic keeping it that way. If he didn’t know better, he’d say it would rain soon too. He really hoped it stayed this way. Hajime has never fought in the rain and he wasn’t excited to know how that would feel.

Hajime jumped over to another roof and was met with Chat Noir crouching on the ledge. His gaze followed the ins and outs of alleyways scattered about the pathways below. Attentive eyes analyzed the people and their actions as he searched out any suspicious activity. Hajime approached him and crouched next to his position.

“Hey. You see anything?” Hajime asked.

“Nothing out of the unusual, unfortunately,” Chat Noir sighed. “I was hoping we could do something today.”

Hajime raised his eyebrow and stood back up, followed by Chat Noir doing the same thing. For a moment, he realized Chat Noir’s hair looked like the clouds above as well. Despite that, the hero’s attitude was something Hajime had gotten used to already. He came to terms with the fact that he was a bit odd, a bit emotionless at times, but that was what made him Chat Noir. As long as he fulfilled his duty as a hero, then it was fine by him.

“There’s probably some action happening somewhere else. We could check that out,” Hajime said.

Chat Noir nodded with a smile, following behind his trail. Hajime swung his yo-yo across a few buildings before cursing underneath his breath and landing on top of one. The chill breeze biting against his face got annoying real fast. Why was his suit temperature controlled but not his face?

“Are you alright, Mister Bug?”

Hajime nodded and dragged his hand down his red-tinted cheek. For a couple of times, he’s been paranoid that someone would recognize him based on the changes of his face, like the scars that scratched against his chin from the glass, or the tiny gashes on his nose. It wasn’t like that, however. Hajime supposed it was the magic of being Mister Bug or something along those lines. “Is it the same for you? Y’know, half of your face isn’t covered so the wind is cold as hell.”

“Ah, that,” Chat Noir placed his fingers against his cheek before realizing his suit covered them. Hajime smirked. “Just imagine when it starts snowing.”

“I can’t wait until it starts  _ raining. _ It looks like that weather is coming up pretty soon.”

“It must be so uncomfortable getting water in your face when you jump around,” he complained as he turned his head up to the clouds and squinted. “I know you can get through this minor setback. It’s practically a small bug bite compared to everything else you’ve dealt with.”

“Yeah, but too many bug bites can get annoying,” Hajime said.

“Don’t be so pessimistic. You need to be hopeful! Someone as great as you shouldn’t wallow in despair for too long.”

He was used to these comments about hope and despair already. Along with his weird quirks, Chat Noir had his weird fixations as well. It wasn’t anything Hajime couldn’t handle, but at some points, he had this sudden urge to slap a hand over the boy’s mouth.

“I won’t, I won’t,” the brunet placed his hands in front of his mouth and blew out warm air. “You’d think they’d have, like. Wind visors or something for us.”

“We’re not cars, Mister Bug.”

He can be so clueless at times, yet still, be one of the smartest people Hajime’s ever known. He fought the urge to roll his eyes and decided to roll his shoulders back instead.

“I’ve been wondering,” Chat Noir began. “What does your Kwami look like?”

“He’s pretty similar to my suit’s design. Red with black dots, antennas,” Hajime flicked the two strands of hair on the top of his head.

Chat Noir came closer to Hajime and scanned his hair with a finger on his chin. After a second, he smiled. “Now that you mention it, your hair does look like antennas. Instead of spidey-senses, maybe you might have… Buggy-senses.”

That was a horrible joke. Hajime smiled a crooked smile and laughed at the stupidity. “Buggy-senses? Then what would you have? Catty-senses?”

“Me? I’m sure I wouldn’t have any senses. I doubt I’d be very useful if I had them, anyway.”

Oh, it was only a matter of time before a self-deprecating comment came into the picture as well. It was just another thing that made up Chat Noir. But it was… Something that could change, right? Every time he tried to correct him, to bring up his worth, Chat Noir would find ways to turn it around or change the subject. It would get so frustrating and annoying. 

“What does your Kwami look like?” Hajime backtracked the conversation.

“He’s a small cat. Green eyes, ears,” Chat Noir flicked his suit’s cat ears on the top of his head similar to the way Hajime had done earlier. “He is a bit reserved, though. That’s understandable since he talks to me most of the time. He’s bound to get bored of me eventually.”

“I’m sure your Kwami isn’t bored with you. You’re a pretty interesting guy, in my opinion.”

“Don’t force yourself to focus your hope onto me, Mister Bug. I’m only here to help you!” Chat Noir brightly said. 

Now it was getting on his nerves. Maybe it was the conversation he had with Kazuichi last night or the pestering thoughts in his mind, but he could already feel the words leaving his mouth. “Hey, you should stop being so hard on yourself. I’m here to help you too, we're a team, remember? And I’m not forcing my ‘hope’ onto you, I’m just–I sometimes feel the same way, so I want you to know that you’re… Valuable.”

“You feel the same way…? Mister Bug, what part are you not understanding?” He scratched his head before an excited smile took over. “Hope is an absolute good, any form of it is astounding and deserves to be cultivated to become an even greater source. You’re a great example of that. Your Kwami decided to choose you and help your hope evolve. It means your Kwami saw something in you, even when you were normal and untalented. When you’re an average, boring person, all you know how to do is despair, but you didn’t despair before you were chosen, Mister Bug. That means you were never normal in the first place. You were meant to be a symbol of hope since birth.”

“Normal. And untalented…” Hajime silently wondered aloud. He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and took a deep breath. “I… Look, there’s nothing wrong with being untalented. That doesn’t mean I’m worthless… or that anyone else is worthless. It’s about the good that you do for other people. And plus, your Kwami must’ve thought the same thing of you, Chat Noir. They saw something in you, too.”

Chat Noir placed an empty smile on his lips and shook his head. “It’s obvious my Kwami made a mistake when choosing me.”

“How do you know that?” Hajime asked. Then a question lingered inside of his mind. He wanted to know how Chat Noir would respond to it. Last time he had asked this question, the other hero responded blatantly, but now, maybe there would be more to it? “How do you know my own Kwami didn’t make a mistake?”

“Because you’re amazing, Mister Bug. Your hope is so bright and it’s truly powerful. You fulfill the people with hope because you’re made of absolute good! Your hope can triumph any despair that comes your way! But for me…? I’ve already established this, but I think it would help you understand if I said it again. It’s impossible for me to embody hope. That’s why I’d rather help it grow, and I wish to help your hope grow as well!” Chat Noir approached him and grabbed his hands into his own. His eyes were swirling ferociously, eerily. “It’s the best I can offer, Mister Bug.”

Hajime stared at the boy with wide eyes. His lips parted as the scene unfurled in front of him, Chat Noir’s hands grabbing his own in a passionate, but gentle grip, like Hajime could bend underneath his touch at any moment. His upturned brows and the slight tint of blush draping across his cheeks. It was a mix of obsession and admiration that Hajime couldn’t keep his eyes off of. And it was so weird to keep staring because someone shouldn’t stare at such an absurd sight when they weren’t deserving of it, let alone when the sight wasn’t supposed to exist in the first place. It didn’t feel right. This sort of love didn’t feel rational. 

“You’re wrong…”

“… Pardon?” Chat Noir asked. The swirls from his eyes slowly dissipated as the usual green returned.

“You’re wrong… I…” Hajime murmured. His thoughts began to jumble up inside of his head at high speeds. They intertwined, tangled, knotted, it was hard to pick one apart from the other.  _ “Dammit, Chat Noir,  _ why can’t you understand that you’re not worthless!”

The boy’s eyes widened and his hands let go of Hajime’s. The brunet started to speak again, not allowing the other to reply. “It–it doesn’t matter if you don’t have talent! I thought the same too, but someone told me that it’s not about the talent you have, it’s about what you do with it. And, it doesn’t even matter if you have talent at all, because you still have the chance to help others. You wanna help me, right? You can help me by saving people. In my opinion, that’s hope, or whatever. That’s like an absolute good. There’s no despair, or–or helping hope evolve, there’s just… Helping people, and it gives you worth. If you think you’re incapable of that, then you’re just… You’re giving up.”

Chat Noir stared at him. 

“Mister Bug, why would I help a nobody?”

Hajime blinked.

_ It’s just that human life, to me, has become such a meaningless thing that it’s hard to really care. _

The memory of Mister Bug and Chat Noir sitting on the Eiffel Tower’s ledge when they first met each other had flashed through his mind once again. It wouldn’t be the first time that he had thought about that day, and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last.

“My bad luck comes in many forms,” Nagito crossed his arms and stared at the scenery around them. Birds flew overhead along with the deep echoes of an airplane beyond the gray clouds. “And it’s changed me. Believe it or not, there was a time where I wasn’t as disgusting as I am now. When my luck didn’t exist and when I actually… Hm… When I was actually able to  _ feel _ something for others. But now that feeling is so small I can barely process it. And sometimes it never even comes. I think that alone can convince you that I’m not capable of embodying hope, Mister Bug, I have no  _ good. _ It’s because of my luck. It’s changed me and hurt the people around me.”

A brief and airy laugh came from Chat Noir’s throat as his self-deprecating smile grew. He placed his hand against his chest and continued. “The most I can do for the best of the best is to help their hope grow by doing whatever benefits them. That’s all I’m good for, and that’s all I’ll ever be good for. Thinking of me as someone who is deserving of your compliments is… Well, stupid. I know I must be a nuisance due to how worthless and normal and untalented I am, but please allow me to help  _ you.  _ I would be honored to help someone as hopeful as you. People like you… Is the reason why I still live.”

It’s been about a month of being Mister Bug. Hajime had never imagined Chat Noir to be this eroded. He knew the hero wasn’t in his right mind, but to hear it straightforward made him realize he knew absolutely nothing about Chat Noir. The boy felt nothing for others. He felt nothing for the people they’d been saving. The only reason he had been cooperating with Hajime was because he believed Mister Bug represented hope in all its glory, and hope was the very thing that made Chat Noir tick. 

What would’ve happened if they never knew each other in the first place? Would Chat Noir follow his Kwami’s wishes and save Paris from Hawkmoth? Everything would obviously lead up to that answer, but, if it wasn’t for Mister Bug, would Chat Noir’s actions be the same? Would the hero save others, or would he ignore their calls for help…? 

What type of person was Chat Noir like behind that mask?

Hajime was practically speechless at this point. He had tried to open his mouth to say something, but he couldn’t even move it. A subtle thought came into mind about how they would look right now. With all of these pictures emerging on the internet, of the two of them running across rooftops and jumping through the air, Hajime wondered what everyone would make out of this situation. How would they react if they found out about the true Chat Noir, not the one that gave empty smiles to so-called ‘nobodies,’ but the one that openly described them as nobodies? Maybe it was only to him, to Mister Bug, in which Chat Noir shared his true feelings. That concept gave him a strike of motivation to at least try to help him. The only option left was to treat Chat Noir like he mattered, that he wasn’t ‘worthless’ or someone that was meant to only be used for hope. Hajime would try to do it, even if the very thing he was fighting against was lady luck herself.

“I’ll show you you’re not worthless,” Hajime vowed. “I don’t care if you think that’s impossible.”

“Wasting your hope on me isn’t worth it, Mister Bug.”

Hajime clicked his tongue. It obviously wasn’t going to be that easy.

* * *

They ended up maneuvering around a few streets and dead ends until they found themselves by a couple of dingy alleyways. Sadly, for both of them, it actually did start to rain. It was a slight drizzle, but even something as small as that could be a nuisance when they were running all over the place. Nagito’s hair was flattened against his forehead as multiple white strands poked out in random places. Whenever he turned his head, he could feel the water droplets bounce against his cheek. Mister Bug’s situation was less severe compared to his own, however. His brunet hair was still messy and spiky as usual, but it held the weight of the water between it.

Inhaling a deep breath, Nagito could smell the rain’s touch against the cement and grass around them. The boy pushed a group of wet hair behind his ear and flicked his wrist to get the water off. Mister Bug saw him do this, mirroring his actions with a sigh gracing his lips.

“This sucks,” Mister Bug said.

“At least it’s not raining harder.”

It started raining harder.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”

A scream resounded in the nearest alleyway, high-pitched and desperate. Nagito wasn’t as affected as Mister Bug who comically jumped at the sound  _ (‘Funny,’ _ Nagito had thought), although, it still sent chills up his spine. It sounded like a girl’s voice, and if Nagito listened hard enough, he could barely make out a few men talking with one another. Automatically, they began to sprint into the alley, one factor being due to muscle memory and another being, of course, their heroic responsibility! Nagito was used to the heightened beating of his heart in cases similar to this, but sometimes these crimes were more intense than he realized. Once he thought a mugging was occurring when in reality it was a man attempting murder. Who knew he’d be dealing with such extreme measures?

Nagito’s feet pounded against the slippery ground beneath him as the heroes came across three men huddled in a corner. Their arms were built for heavy lifting, fighting, anything completely athletic because their bodies were  _ muscular. _ If he wasn’t Chat Noir at the moment, red flags would’ve been going off twice as hard compared to now.

“What are you guys doing?” Mister Bug interrupted. The men turned their heads back to look at the two of them. Nagito was expecting something more stereotypical, like scars on one of their eyes or more wrinkles etched into their skin. Instead, they each looked pretty normal. In fact, their faces didn’t even stand out to him, each one appeared boring and uninteresting, to say the least.

“Shit,” the tall man rightfully said. He stepped forward as the others followed his actions. Nagito wanted to roll his eyes.

“What do we do?” Another said to the tall one. 

“What else are we gonna do, dumbass. We can’t fuckin’ run.”

The brawnier one, the one who hadn’t talked yet, stood in front of the group and faced down Mister Bug. He had stuffed some zip ties back into his pockets with a glower on his face. They most definitely walked in on something that wasn’t meant to be seen.

“You shouldn’t try anything,” Nagito said. “It’s not worth it. The best thing you can do right now is surrender.”

“I’m sure we can take these shits,” the sturdy one said, reaching for his other pocket. “We can just overpower ‘em.”

Mister Bug immediately shot out his yo-yo and took ahold of the man’s hand.  _ Great reflexes, _ Nagito thought before he ran towards the brawny man and punched him square in the face. It seemed as if he wasn’t expecting such a brutal force since he almost tripped over his feet, but whatever happened, the man regained his balance and shot a punch right back.

With a duck, he managed to dodge. Nagito shot out his leg and tripped the man and he fell straight on his ass with a splash from the rain puddle around him. The wire wrapped around his hand had pulled and dragged him across the wet ground right over towards Mister Bug. The brunet shoved his hands into the man’s pockets and pulled out a gun and a few zip ties. Handling them with more than enough care, Mister Bug wrapped a zip tie around the man’s wrists and ankles in a swift moment. Looking back over at the remaining two men, Nagito could see the regret flashing before their eyes.

“You guys ready to surrender yet?” Mister Bug called, pushing the incapacitated man towards the wall.

The two of them looked at each other, concern written on their faces. Teeth ground against each other and fists tightened until their knuckles turned white. Both of them were blocked into a corner. And speaking of a corner, there was somebody hunched into their knees sitting against the wall. Nagito took a step closer as the men took a step back.

In between the men sat a figure with her arms wrapped around her legs. With a closer look, maybe if he squinted his eyes a bit he could make out some colors like the lightness of her hair, the dark color of her uniform, the… 

It was Chiaki.  _ Chiaki was in the corner. _

And that was all Nagito needed in order to charge at the men with full force. The claws on the tips of his fingers were there for a reason, and he used it just for that. He grazed the men’s arms with one fell swoop, snagging them both in a lucky movement. With a look of utter disdain, Nagito kicked one of the men against the other, both falling over in a domino effect and slamming into the wall.

Footsteps approached from behind him before the familiar red of Mister Bug’s suit came into view. “Hey, are you hurt?”

Mister Bug walked towards Chiaki and bent down onto his knees. Slowly, carefully, he placed his hand on her shivering shoulder. Nagito could see that her clothes were drenched with rainwater and it made him think of how uncomfortable she must be feeling at the moment. Scared probably. Most definitely scared and probably lost too. Nagito took a step forward and took a closer look at the scene. There were tears falling down her cheeks, unmistakable from the rain. Chiaki’s hair stuck out at odd angles with a few frizzy strands across her forehead. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to have any major looking injuries like blood or scrapes. He felt himself relax, yet that was only slightly.

Chiaki turned her head up. It all started out so slow with her brows tilting upwards to her hands wrapping around Mister Bug’s back. She pressed herself into him with a tight embrace, like he was her savior, her hope. Well, it wasn’t far from the truth. It wasn’t far at all. The sight was purely amazing, to say the least. Two of the most hopeful people, each born with talent and ambition, encounter one another in such a powerful show of colors and emotion. Nagito stared in awe until he was brought back into reality.

“T-thank you!” Chiaki’s muffled voice strained out. “T-thank y-you guys… So m-much. I was so scared, I…”

Nagito approached the two and gave a look towards Mister Bug. The other nodded awkwardly as Chiaki cried into his shoulder. Taking out his staff, Nagito clicked a certain button that slid out a screen from the top. It began to blink the color green until it alerted the authorities that they had been given their location. 

“Everything will be alright. The police are on their way,” Nagito said, sliding his staff back into his belt.

The whole situation had been de-escalated rather quickly. To think about what would’ve happened to Chiaki if it weren’t for Mister Bug, it made Nagito bitter. The lowlives who had her surrounded were completely disgusting. Despairful. To have the audacity to attack an Ultimate when you, yourself are just another unimportant person stuck in the fray of your boring life. Nagito had tied the two remaining men up with the zip ties Mister Bug handed him. He may or may not have been a bit too rough, yet he couldn’t really care when these people disrespected someone worth more than their lives alone. 

Chiaki had let go of Mister Bug and sat underneath an emergency staircase after the action had finished. It took a couple of minutes until the sirens appeared in the distance, its echoing call bouncing off of the alleyway buildings, and when it did Nagito felt better. In most cases, Mister Bug would help out with calming the victim (actually, it was more like in all cases), and Nagito would be the one who looked out for the authorities or stopped any more violence from spawning around their area. So, when the cops came out of the two cars, Nagito approached them and told them what happened. He was used to it, used to this routine. Summarizing the story from start to finish, it was easier than comforting someone and trying to decipher  _ why _ they felt like that.  _ How _ he could make them feel better. And plus, he didn’t want to risk himself looking like an idiot in front of an Ultimate.

Nagito helped the police gather the three men and placed them into the cop car with ease. Once they drove off after he said his thanks, it was time to take care of Chiaki. Mister Bug was walking her over to the car, her body shaking from how cold it was outside. Maybe she wasn’t expecting it to rain, which, to Nagito, seemed like such a Chiaki thing to do.

“What’s your name?” Nagito asked her.

“C-Chiaki. Thank you so much for saving me… Chat Noir, thank you,” she gave him a heartwarming smile that he wasn’t deserving of.

“Don’t thank me,” he chuckled, “thank Mister Bug.”

Chiaki hugged him. A lot of people had hugged him after being saved, but this was certainly different. He froze once she wrapped her arms around him, and after a second he patted her head robotically. The look on Mister Bug’s was obviously judging him. Judging meaning he would laugh at him if it weren’t for the surrounding people. Well, Nagito must’ve looked like he couldn’t make heads or tails of this situation. 

Chiaki let go of him and said her goodbyes to them both. Nagito had felt his heart swell with happiness. He wasn’t deserving of that hug or those thanks and he was so selfish to open them with open arms, but he was so happy. 

Chat Noir shouldn’t be given the amount of credit Mister Bug has. Nagito was merely his stepping stool. Nothing more, nothing less.

He didn’t want to be anything but.

_ It was selfish of him to think so. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol wtf is happening in california we got fire tornados now


	12. Hajime had more determination, however. He was literally covered in cooking oil.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cooking oil is great for slip n slide ahaha i think?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM BACK! AND I'M SORRY FOR THE ABSENCE!  
> I have been playing so much Minecraft with my friends ahahah....  
> but I am back now, better than ever (?) and I needed to post this on the 21st night of September cuz it was absolutely necessary
> 
> this chapter was v hard to write cuz it went through so many draft ideas before I finally got to this one. yall need to remember that kokichi is being blackmailed, yknow just a heads up for this lol

Chiaki looked… Upset.

It was understandable, of course, due to the things that happened to her yesterday. Even though she was almost  _ kidnapped, _ the girl kept going and decided to attend school the next day. As their teacher talked about science and atoms and molecules and the sorts, it was hard to stop thinking about her. 

During lunch, she had told him and Kazuichi what had happened the day before. Kazuichi freaked out as usual with his reactions and expressions, but Chiaki acted like nothing was wrong, like it was perfectly fine. The girl commented saying everything was good, that she wasn’t hurt, yadda yadda, and after that, her eyes lit up at the fact that she was saved by Mister Bug and Chat Noir. Which, great, good for her, however, Hajime started to worry about how this actually affected Chiaki. She was someone who hid how she felt if it was at risk of making others worry, so how would she be handling this…?

Hajime felt a tap on his shoulder and he shifted towards his right. Kazuichi, big grin and all, pointed towards his spiral notebook. The words  _ ‘arcade with chiaki after?’ _ were scribbled in his messy handwriting atop the page. Automatically, Hajime nodded with a smirk before turning around and facing the board in front of the class. The rest of the period went by slowly, and a slow, boring class meant a building need to talk and hang out with friends, so that’s exactly what Hajime was going to do.

“Chiaki, do you want to hang out with Kazuichi and me at the arcade?” He slung his backpack around his shoulder right after class.

“The arcade… Will you guys walk with me there…?”

“Yeah,” Hajime nodded. “I mean, why wouldn’t we?”

“Ah. No reason. Yep.”

From anyone else, this comment would’ve sounded sarcastic, but this was Chiaki he was talking about. A little bit socially inept, but kind-hearted nonetheless. Putting that aside, her worrisome tone had put Hajime a little bit on edge and, maybe, the incident did something more to her than he had thought. The trip to the arcade should most definitely help her at least a little bit?

“So… You’ll come with us?” Kazuichi gleefully asked.

Chiaki nodded. “Mm, sure,” she got up and put her backpack on. “Let’s go.”

And off they went. The crowds of students filtering out of the school, heading back to their dorms, or goofing off in the courtyard had walked around the three in waves. Chiaki and Kazuichi dropped off their stuff at their rooms and, once they finished, it was smooth sailing to the arcade from there on out.

“So, did you get a picture with them? An autograph…?”

“I forgot to take a picture of them…” Chiaki sighed, gripping the hem of her skirt. “I had a chance and I blanked during the time.”

Kazuichi clicked his tongue and dramatically sighed. Hajime wanted to slap him at his blunt rudeness, but they were in public. “Ehh, understandable. I’m just glad to hear you’re alright.”

“Well, um,” Hajime said, a nervous smile on his lips. “How was he? They. How were they like?”

He wasn’t prepared for the outburst awaiting him behind that clueless face until it morphed into one of excitement. 

“They were so amazing! I’ve never seen them up close before and it was totally not what I was expecting! Mister Bug, he comforted me. And Chat Noir, he beat the bad guys up like in the games. I wish you could’ve been there to see it!”

Hajime smiled. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll be able to see them again?” 

“Just don’t fall asleep and walk off a building hoping for the best,” Kazuichi nudged her arm. 

“I wouldn’t do that. I’m trying to get my sleep schedule on track,” she said. “The workload from being class president is starting to pile up.”

“What do you even do as class president?” Kazuichi asked.

“Organize events, give ideas to the student council, it’s rather boring at times but I’m glad I can help out the class.”

“Really?” Kazuichi said. “God, if I were class president I would be bored out of my miiind.”

“Well, there is that party Nagito is hosting. I’m sure you can have fun there. Yep, you too Hajime. Nagito has already invited me and Kazuichi so I think you’ll be expecting one soon.”

“You think?” Hajime droned. 

“C’mon, Haji-babe, your boyfriend’s probably still organizing some things. Give it some time,” Kazuichi flashed his toothy grin towards the brunet and all he could do was grimace. Hajime doubted that. It was time to take his loss, but, for some odd reason, he kept on chugging despite the clear warnings. Nagito was  _ not _ single,  _ nor _ interested. 

A small voice denied those allegations in his head, but it was better not to listen.

* * *

Chiaki knew there was barely any hope for Nagito and Hajime. Sometimes it hurt her to watch them interact because she knew Nagito didn’t reciprocate his feelings. She wasn’t too sure about Nagito’s feelings towards Hajime or which way the boy swung at all, but it didn’t take a genius to know what the model’s actions meant. At a distance, maybe it seemed like the two could have a chance if Nagito pushed through whatever things that were going on in his head (the things making him ignore Hajime at times, making him raise an eyebrow at the brunet’s ‘odd’ behavior, yep). However… There was also the obstacle with Kirumi, and that was the factor that should’ve made Hajime quit this awful game of cat and mouse. 

_ Hm…  _ If she was being honest, though, maybe there  _ was  _ a chance for them. She would just have to investigate Kirumi whenever she got the chance. Chiaki wasn’t very knowing when it came to the maid, yet that didn’t mean she couldn’t try. Maybe she and Shuichi could try some detective things out? Well, her video game knowledge didn’t come without puzzle-solving and investigating, so there won’t be anything too invasive. Yep. Kirumi’s true relationship with Nagito will come to light soon enough. That would suck if they actually were together, though–

“–Chiaki!”

The girl nearly lost her balance when Hajime’s voice cut through her thoughts. Her back straightened. “Huh? Is everything alright?”

“You almost ran into that window,” he pointed at their reflections staring back at them with dumbfounded expressions. Chiaki felt her heartbeat die down to its normal pace before she placed a small smile on her lips. “Well,” he said, “c’mon. The games aren’t going to play themselves.”

“I’m coming.”

The inside of the arcade was an interior Chiaki saw regularly, the flashing lights and the  _ pew-pew-pew _ of her favorite video games always awaited her. And what also awaited her were the same exact names on top of each game’s leaderboard, which was a plus in her eyes. Each day she would try to bring one score farther up; it was all a part of the fun. The trio walked towards the games and got out their tokens from their pockets. This place was a rather popular spot, so of course, they kept some tokens for safekeeping, although, sometimes it left their hands smelling like the coppery scent of coins whenever they shuffled them around in their pockets. It was all a part of the fun. 

“Oh  _ shit!” _ Kazuichi almost screamed.  _ Almost.  _ Hajime raised his eyebrow at someone before Chiaki followed that line of sight. Unsurprisingly, it was no one other than “Miss Sonia~! I gotta go say hi to her. I’ll hang with you guys later, I got some business to attend to.”

“Uh, yeah, have fun with that,” Hajime replied.

“He just doesn’t give up,” she giggled.

“It’s kinda creepy.”

“Yep. Kind of. Maybe you might be like that someday.”

“Don’t joke about that,” Hajime smirked, then furrowed his brows. “Will I, though…?”

“I don’t think so. At least, I hope not.”

“Real convincing.”

Chiaki nudged his arm and started towards one of the retro games, Galaga. Inserting a token, she began her first level and only built her way up from there. Her usual flick of the wrist and rapid tap of her finger commanded the spaceship with excellence, and again, again, again, she was basically entranced by this game at the moment. Like always, during these intense moments, nothing seemed to matter around her, only the goal of finishing the level and enjoying it in the best way possible and… Hm.

That voice, it was so… 

_ Intriguing? _

Did it come from the left of her? No, why would it matter? She had to focus on this one segment, and if she screwed up right now her score would probably go way down. Focus on the screen. Listen to the sounds.

The voice had this unique quality that grated against her ears like sandpaper. Did they ever be quiet when talking to someone else? Chiaki could’ve sworn she’s heard the same drabble go on and on since she started the game… 

“Nooo, I wouldn’t do that. I thought you knew what to do. Doesn’t everyone know that? Ehhh, whatever.”

Chiaki thought of herself as a nice girl. She gave everyone the patience they needed and she was always there to help, but this guy just got on her nerves. He got on her nerves way too much and it was really something she  _ wasn’t _ used to. In fact, he was so… distracting that one of the enemy ships shot her last life down, ending her session completely. 

She didn’t feel like continuing her game anyway.

So with a deep sigh, she stood up from her chair and hovered her hand over her mouth, yawning. Chiaki felt the crick in her neck after stretching a bit, it was all in a good day’s work if you asked her, and she made her way to… Maybe Bomberman–?

Oh, that’s whose voice that belonged to. Kokichi. Yep. He was talking to Shuichi near the Bomberman game.

Ah, and when Chiaki and him exchanged looks, Kokichi’s purple eyes lightened up so brightly Chiaki was afraid she might’ve had something on her jacket. He was known for laughing at things like that. He was also known for causing pranks that stained people’s jackets. Whatever the case, Kokichi stood joyously with a smile on his face, compared to Shuichi who had his usual composure keeping himself together. Sometimes Chiaki was oblivious to other people’s feelings, and other times she predicted their feelings straight on. Right now, though? She was on the fence when considering things about Shuichi and Kokichi. They were… An odd pair of friends. She didn’t see it. The appeal. How did the two of them end up friends in the first place, anyway? A detective and an evil supreme leader… It didn’t add up.

“You’ve been staring for quite some time,” Kokichi interrupted. “It’s rude to stare, ya know?”

Shuichi nudged the shorter boy with his arm and sent him a short grunt. Kokichi only seemed to grin wider with a chuckle escaping his lips. “What’s up, Chiaki?” Shuichi said.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.” Chiaki apologized. “I wasn’t expecting you two to be here.”

“Well. _ It is _ Friday,” Kokichi said.

Shuichi sighed and readjusted his hat a bit to the left. “We figured it’d be nice to play some games before heading home. It’s been a pretty long week with homework.”

“It’s probably been a pret-ty long week for you too. Hasn’t it, Chiaki?” Kokichi raised his arms behind his head in a nonchalant display.

“Ah, yep. I mean, in most cases, yep. A lot has happened.”

“Hey, hey,” Kokichi sing-songed. “A little birdie told me you almost got kidnapped!”

Shuichi seemed to cough on his own spit until his face twisted into shock. Chiaki dug the toe of her shoe into the ground and looked away, maybe at the lights on the games, or maybe the glowing shapes littered across the carpet. Once Shuichi stopped wheezing into his fist, he placed his hand on Kokichi’s shoulder and squeezed.

“You don’t just ask people that out of the blue, Kokichi…”

“No, it’s fine,” Chiaki smiled. “I almost did. But then I was saved by Chat Noir and Mister Bug.”

“Aw, that must’ve been so scary. Well, that’s good the heroes came along or you would’ve been dead meat!”

Chiaki felt her smile fall. The girl didn’t like to think about the ‘what ifs’ about that whole situation. It was better to be positive. That’s what Ibuki thinks. If she was positive, everything would turn out fine.

“Kokichi, seriously. That’s enough,” Shuichi said.

“No, no, no, but just think about it! Who knows where she could’ve gone? Oh, but maybe my men paid you a visit, Chiaki? Dealing with that mess would’ve been soooo tiring, trying to find you and weed you out from the other people. Y’know, human trafficking is no joke!”

She stared at the boy without letting a single peep out of her mouth. It felt like it was zipped closed, anyway. But, she never knew Kokichi was  _ that mean. _ How did they allow someone so… So awful into this school? He didn’t even say a simple ‘sorry,’ or ‘I hope you’re alright.’ Chiaki should’ve known, though. It was stupid not to expect this outcome from the Supreme Leader. The boy  _ did _ do some whole publicity stunt only a week ago, so, that being said she should’ve walked the other direction in the first place.

“What’s up with you?” Shuichi interrupted, brows furrowed. “What are you saying?”

“What am I saying? I mean, it’s pretty obvious don’t you think?”

The detective spared Chiaki a glance with a look of sorrow in his eyes. “I-I’m really sorry about this, he doesn’t mean it–”

“I mean every word.”

Chiaki wasn’t able to make out what the two were saying when she turned around and walked away. It was the best course of action. It was an action she was unaware of even making. Walking aimlessly in a lively arcade looking for anything to busy her mind with. It felt kind of lonely. Really lonely. Well, she wasn’t sure about what to do after that encounter at all, really.

_ Dead meat, huh. _ This is a reason to support the heroes even more. They saved her.

Without them, though… Without them, maybe she wouldn’t even be… Here.

That thought started off as a slight peck at her brain until it spiraled into an invasive parasite, feeding off of her emotions. The worst part was that she couldn’t even control it, the ‘what ifs.’ And those thoughts kept coming until she felt the need to walk into the bathroom and take a long, deserved breather. 

It was really hard to breathe through the tears, though.

* * *

“It didn’t work out this time, but next time? Yeah, I bet it will,” Kazuichi sighed. He and Hajime gathered around some game he didn’t bother to learn the name of and started playing together. It was like some rip-off of Mortal Kombat without the cool backgrounds and more–er. Shittier ones. Hajime managed to do an uppercut onto Kazuichi’s player managing to stun them, so that was cool.

“Look,” Hajime stopped talking for a moment to focus on the game. “Sometimes you should learn to, yeah, I don’t know… Give it a rest? Maybe Sonia needs time.”

Maybe Sonia needs a break from your weird behavior. 

“Time? Aw, man, I can’t wait that long. Miss Sonia is so pretty and…” He trailed off, sighing in defeat.

“You should probably wait for  _ her _ to give the signs instead of yourself. I mean, if you ask me…” Hajime took the blunt force of Kazuichi’s punch on the screen. “You’re kinda being a bit… Weird.”

“Weird? Hey, all I’m tryna do is get myself uh… Out there? Yeah.” 

“Err. No.”

_ “No?” _ Kazuichi exclaimed. The mechanic did the finishing blow and defeated Hajime’s player in one final punch. The brunet cursed underneath his breath before turning to Kazuichi and staring at his confused face.

“How would you feel if some chick approached you every time of the day and gave you no personal space, whatsoever?”

“Heh, I mean, I’d kinda dig it.”

Hajime rolled his eyes and thought. “What if that girl was Miu?”

_ “Huh?!  _ Hell no, that’d be super weird! She acts so–so off-putting most of the time!”

“I’m not saying you two are anything alike, but all I’m saying is that you act the same way towards Sonia–”

In the corner of the room was something he wasn’t really expecting to see. It was somewhat glowing, although that was probably because of the different lights coming from different angles shining on its body. And, well, it was the right time for one of these things to pop up, but he’s never really  _ seen  _ it before it happens. He’s never seen an Akuma before it attacks. He’s never seen it before it…

_ Oh crap. There’s an Akuma in the arcade. _

“Uh, I gotta use the restroom, I’ll be right back.”

“Hey, you can’t leave me hangin’ like that, c’mon!” Kazuichi whined.

“Yeah, I’ll be back, just wait,” Hajime rushed before quickly walking away. Once he was out of his line of sight, Hajime would be lying if he said he didn’t sprint towards the bathroom full on. He probably looked like an idiot, running in the middle of an arcade, but those were the least of his concerns right now.

The brunet pushed open the bathroom door, and what do you know? No one was actually in there, thank god. Hajime practically threw himself into one of the stalls, almost tripping on his own feet before calling out Vyxaam’s name. “What’s up?” The Kwami asked with wide eyes.

“Akuma, arcade. Ugh, there’s no time to explain–spots on!” A flash went by, his clothes replaced by his suit, Vyxaam nowhere in sight. It was challenging to find out how he would handle this situation, there were groups of people scattered everywhere so finding out who the victim was was going to be hard. Right now, though, his greatest concern was capturing the Akuma. Hajime opened the stall door and looked for any newcomers, any signs of swinging doors or people’s reflections in the mirrors. There were none. 

He could never get over the two groups of hair sticking out of his head like antennas. The mirrors never lied, but he wished they did.

As soon as he opened the door out of the bathroom, it didn’t seem like anyone noticed his presence, maybe because of the dim lighting or their attention focused on the screens in front of them. That was a plus side to being in an arcade, he supposed. Hajime scanned the corners of the walls, searching for any sign of black blending in with the flashing red of that Batman motorcycle game, or some blue from that weird fishing game he never played. Unfortunately, his eyes were really deceiving him. If Chat Noir was here, he could use his night vision to try and scope it out, but damn his absence. 

And right now, it wasn’t a great time to summon his Lucky Charm… That was better off  _ when  _ the person was Akumatized. Were they even Akumatized, though? Where would he find the Akuma? In the vents? What if the person was a staff in the worker’s room?  _ Dammit,  _ there were too many possibilities. At least he could rule out the people playing games, they seemed to be enjoying themselves a bit.

Hajime walked close to the walls as he hid from plain sight. It didn’t seem like anybody saw him yet. He’d take his chances and try sneaking into the backrooms, that’d be where someone was hiding from the rest of the crowds. It’s happened before and for sure it would happen now. The boy pushed open the heavy doors and was met with a change of scenery. Bright halls with fluorescent lights stretching down a couple of corridors, it was definitely something his eyes had to get adjusted to. Nevertheless, he ventured onwards with weary eyes.

Jeez, what if the victim was hiding somewhere completely different, though? If they were, he was bound to notice eventually. Right now he had to  _ focus and not let his thoughts wander off.  _ Hajime kept going forward. He looked down at the floor for a flying butterfly, through the windows of the rooms, and then, through the vents, and that’s where that pesky little thing was hiding. 

The boy felt his feet move before his mind could even comprehend where he was going. Right through the door leading into that one room he  _ knew _ it had to be in, Hajime was met with… With nothing in particular. It was an empty blank room with a few musty old boxes and a tore up gray rug covering the whole ground. But before he knew it, the Akuma poked its frail body through the vent and fluttered across the room without a care in the world. Hajime sneered and got his yo-yo out and swinging almost on queue and then that’s when it happened.

It bolted to the vent across the room nearly avoiding the yo-yo’s grasp and Hajime wanted to strangle the living crap out of it if he knew where it’s neck was. No, he wanted to strangle Hawkmoth because this was absurd. Why couldn’t they Akumatize someone out in the open again? And where did that vent even lead to? What could he do in this situation?

He said he wouldn’t use his Lucky Charm, but. He really had no choice. “Lucky Charm!” Hajime shouted as it echoed around the empty room. The glare of light above him finalized into an item that fell into his hands. It was kind of shiny as the lamps above him shined a white reflection onto the bottle’s glass. As Hajime inspected further, it appeared to have some type of fluid inside, like a light green and yellow mixed into one. Then he turned it around, and on the front of it read:

_ Oil. _

Oil? What the hell was he going to do with oil? And what type of oil was this anyway, was it cooking oil? Had to be cooking oil. Hajime stared at the vent the Akuma flew through and bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to figure out what he had to do. Maybe he had to throw the bottle at something? No, no, no, he probably had to open it and pour it on something…  _ Oh. Oh, he wasn’t doing that. _

Hajime glared at the vent once again, he stared at its place on the wall then back down at the bottle of oil, then right back at its stupid rusting metal. “Goddammit.”

He walked up to the vent and tore it from the wall with a swift motion. Good thing for having powers because if it weren’t for them he wouldn’t be strong enough to tear literal metal off walls. And what a day to have powers because he was about to do something the did  _ not want to do. _ Opening the bottle and throwing the cap on the ground, Hajime took a deep breath and poured all of the oil into the vent. All of it.

As the liquid flowed down the descending duct, the boy took a deep, deep, inhale through his nose and released it all from his mouth, the faint smell of cooking oil flooding into his nostrils.  _ Headfirst or feet first? Which way did he go…? _ The Akuma was already turning down another vent so he had to jump in quick, he had to go right now, so he lifted himself up and he  _ slipped and now he was already sliding down the vent headfirst and– _

Why did the oil make him go so fast?! He would’ve almost split his head open if he hadn’t stopped himself by pushing his hand against the side of the duct. From here, though, he could see the figure of the black Akuma escaping to the left of him, flapping its black wings with so much determination. Hajime had more determination, however. He was literally covered in cooking oil.

Crawling across the dust-covered vent, Hajime was getting closer and closer to that damned butterfly. Just a bit more, only a bit more until he could reach his hand out and trap the Akuma underneath the bottle. It smelled of old, rusting metal and a few dead bugs may or may not have been crushed underneath his elbows, but that didn’t stop him. 

And then he had it. He slammed the bottle on top of the Akuma with a  _ bang  _ and everything was finally alright.

Until the vent began to descend again.

And he began to slide downwards. Fast.

The force of another vent slamming into his head seemed like it would hurt a lot worse. Apparently not, thanks to his absurd powers (once again). Right after that, though, the vent broke off the wall and he was thrown across the room and onto the ground, empty cardboard boxes breaking his fall only slightly. Hajime groaned and rubbed his head in discomfort, pushing a single box off his torso and realizing that the Akuma still flew around inside of the bottle. Almost immediately, he covered the opening with the box’s flap and steadied himself. He breathed out.

Placing the bottle on the ground, the boy stood up and took out his yo-yo. He kicked the bottle over and shot the yo-yo straight on, somewhat anticlimactically to say the least. So much work for such a little butterfly… Despite that, the Akuma was finally released as pure white.

“Miraculous Mister Bug!” Hajime shouted, throwing the bottle into the air as red butterflies surrounded his vision, everything going blinding white until he felt that sticky sensation of cooking oil rub off his cheeks. Oh, how much he loved this part.

Hajime blew out a puff of air from his lungs and hung his shoulders low, responsibility finally sliding its weight from his back. Transforming into Mister Bug all for capturing a small little Akuma? He wished there was a better, easier way of handling all of this, but things were just as they were. “Spots off,” he called. The odd feeling of his suit disappearing completely before being replaced by his usual clothes was something he was beginning to get used to by now. And after all this time, it was now in which he was getting accustomed to it.

The boy stared up at that damn vent above him. He was never doing that agaaaain… 

He felt his heart stutter. It skipped more than one beat.

His foot twisted around. His body followed it.

There was a mirror. There was a mirror right next to the vent. There was someone  _ in _ the mirror–

“Y-You’re– _ you’re Mister Bug?!” _

He wanted to close their mouth shut. Oh crap, this was not good.

“I–I-I’m not Mister Bug, you’ve got it all wrong–”

“Hajime, I just saw you transform a-a-and–”

“You saw nothing!” 

Kazuichi’s lips perked up as his smile turned into a blinding grin.

“You really  _ are  _ Mister Bug!”

_ “Shut up or the whole place will hear you, dammit!” _


	13. “I-I mean, it’s like, uh… A boy thing!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WOO HOOO UPDATE!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so im limiting the chapter to 4k words instead of 5k cuz doing 5k words takes a lot of brain power and I don't have a lot of that
> 
> ALSO!!! PLEASE CHECK OUT SOME ART!!
> 
> [Vivian11453162](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/Vivian11453162/status/1308922119066132483&;sa=D&;ust=1602015508984000&;usg=AFQjCNFrAjNO4uAhVHeVnqHiGJ9T1ebLXg)
> 
> ITS SO CUTE IM GONNA CRYYYYY

“You’re Mister Bug! Holy shi–” Hajime bolted towards Kazuichi and slapped his hand over the boy’s mouth like a flyswatter to a fly. That shut him up for good, save for the few muffles of struggling, but it did the trick nonetheless.

“Don’t tell _anyone_ about this,” he interrogated. “And I mean _anyone.”_

Kazuichi nodded his head furiously to the point where Hajime’s hand was thrown off his mouth. The mechanic had a bright smile on his face, his eyes were blown wide open and he looked about ready to pop, maybe even explode with excitement. Hajime was hoping he didn’t. 

“I won’t! Lips closed, mouth zipped, I’m quiet. The key is thrown!”

Hajime stared at Kazuichi with an unraveling disappointment in his eye. Kazuichi wasn’t the… Secret keeping type. Once he blurted out one of Hajime’s embarrassing stories to half the class in the morning and all the brunet wanted to do was curl up in a ball and die, but he didn’t. No, instead he almost got into a one-sided screaming contest and Kazuichi learned a decent lesson that day. Yet his point still stood: Kazuichi _doesn’t keep secrets very well. At all._

Oh… Dammit. He was doomed.

“Really?” Hajime skeptically asked. More demanded than asked, really. “You swear on your grave you won’t tell anybody. Genuinely.”

“Yes! Yes, I swear on my grave. Promise!”

He looked at him up and down, side to side, up and down again. Now it felt a bit creepy but it made Kazuichi uncomfortable, so it should’ve done something influential on him. Hajime furrowed his brows and took a step back to stop his interrogating stare. The heavy weight in his stomach never lifted since Kazuichi barged in and Hajime wasn’t sure how to make the nervous feeling disappear. Maybe there wasn’t a way after this huge screw-up. _Craaaap. What now? What do you really say in these situations?!_

“Do you know who Chat Noir is?”

“Shut up! Shut up! None of this talk in public! Or anywhere, for that matter, I can’t have _anybody_ knowing!” Hajime harshly tapped the side of his head with his index finger. “Use your mechanic brain, Kazuichi, if any of this gets out—and I mean any of it, I’m totally screwed.”

“Y-yeah—yeah, I got it, heh,” Kazuichi nervously chuckled, scratching his jaw. “But, oh, y’know… It wouldn’t hurt to talk about it in a, uh, private room?”

“No.”

Kazuichi’s shoulders slumped in a temporary defeat, but knowing his stubbornness he would probably try to fire up this topic in a few more hours. “Have you seen Chiaki anywhere?” Hajime asked out of the blue. He had hoped it would shift this conversation elsewhere at least a little bit, despite everything shocking that had happened.

“Uh, Chiaki? Erm, yeah I think I may have seen her use the restroom after I was hangin’ with Sonia for a bit. Hey, I still gotta buy her some tea after she bought me some. Keep forgettin’, though…”

Hajime raised his fist to his chin before Kazuichi’s eyes lit up once again.

“Are you on a secret mission or somethi–Oh! That’s probably why you agreed to come here because your Mister Bug senses were goin’ crazy and you wanted to investi… gate…”

The brunet gave the most fed up stare he could muster and threw it at Kazuichi’s face with all his might. He could’ve sworn his eye twitched at the nuisance in front of himself, but he had to keep himself level-headed, if not he might gather unwanted attention by staff. Ah, and speaking of staff, the two of them should get out of the backrooms as soon as possible or they might be kicked out. They still had to find Chiaki and make sure she was safe.

“C’mon, let’s go look for her,” Hajime started towards the exit and Kazuichi followed suit. “I wanna make sure she’s okay.”

The two of them exited the backrooms quietly, save for Kazuichi’s whispers of _“oh my god, my friend is Mister Bug,”_ and Hajime’s need to elbow him in the side. The mechanic almost got sideswiped by the door when it closed, but other than that, they seemed to be in the clear. People were still jabbing at their game’s buttons and hanging around with their friends, cheering them on or tearing them a new one as they battled each other in Mortal Kombat or something. He didn’t really care for that, right now he was trying to search for a pink-haired girl somewhere in the crowds of teenagers staring intently at a screen. 

The thing is, she was nowhere in sight. The duo checked behind corners and ventured over to the food court, yet there was practically no sign of her at all. That’s when a thought popped into Hajime’s head and he groaned in annoyance.

“She might be in the girl’s bathroom,” Hajime bit the inside of his cheek and stared at the entrance to the restroom across from them. 

“You think she’s havin’, like, a girl problem?”

“Gross, don’t talk about things like that, Kazuichi! Let’s be serious here,” Hajime sighed and looked around the arcade. “She still might be a bit shaken up from that attempted kidnapping that happened earlier.”

Kazuichi gasped. “And you saved her–!”

_“Stop it!”_

Kazuichi shut his jaw before continuing, only more quietly and cautiously. “You saved her when that happened. That’s _so cool!_ Did you give them hell?”

Hajime ignored his questioning as soon as he saw someone near the tables. Sonia. She sat beside Akane, Mikan, and Ibuki as they ate a few snacks together. Akane was stuffing her face, like always, and the rest of them talked amongst each other. And when Kazuichi followed Hajime’s line of sight, he muttered a quick “ooMissSonia.” 

“I’m going to get Sonia to check up on her just in case she’s in the bathroom.”

“Can I ask her?”

“You’ll get off track.”

Kazuichi hummed. “You didn’t have to be so blunt.”

Hajime walked towards the four of them as the group took notice and gave their typical greetings. Mikan, a cowering wave, Ibuki, a bright and loud hello, Sonia, an elegant acknowledgment, and Akane… Who didn’t even notice him from the pizza she was choking down. She should try to slow down some time.

“Hajime, Hajime, Hajime!” Ibuki sang as she gestured her arms around. 

“Hello, Hajime,” Sonia smiled, her posture perfect as her hands wove together on her lap. “Are you here with Kazuichi as well?”

Hajime nodded. “Mm, I was actually wondering if you could help us out. With Chiaki”

“How must you need my help?”

“We’re not sure if she’s in the bathroom or not,” Hajime nervously said. “We haven’t seen her in a while so we’re wondering if she’s alright, y’know?”

“I-is she okay? Sh-she wasn’t h-hurt or anything, right?” Mikan managed to stutter out.

“Well, she did have that run-in with those criminals yesterday. I think she’s still shaken up over it. I just need one of you guys to see if she’s there and check up on her.”

“You are a great friend, Hajime,” Sonia said as she stood up from her chair. “I will go and see if she is alright. There is no need to worry!”

“Thanks,” he said and stepped aside. Sonia made her way into the girl’s bathroom leaving both Kazuichi and Hajime in the dust. Honestly, the thoughts of Chiaki being somewhere else other than the bathroom threw him off course. Where else would she be? Putting that thought aside, Kazuichi had interrupted it as he came walking towards him with a sway in his step.

“She’s so nice.”

“Yeah, she is,” Hajime responded and quickly forgot whatever thing Kazuichi had said. It didn’t exactly matter, anyway. The two of them made their way to another table with a bit of distance from the girls. It was Kazuichi’s way of saying ‘ _privacy!’_ since he was probably going to talk about Mister Bug.

“Sooo. When this is all over, can I be like your guy in the chair?”

_Yep._

The brunet stared at him. At this point, did it matter if he tried to ward off his excitement? He had a feeling Kazuichi would always be like this, it made sense, Mister Bug was popular but hearing Kazuichi with his big mouth made him want to stuff cotton balls into his ears. Or into Kazuichi’s mouth.

“You can’t even hack. I mean, if that programmer in the first year offered up, maybe, but I don’t even need a hacker for what I do.”

“No, no, you’re forgettin’ about what _I_ do! I’m the Ultimate Mechanic, Hajime, c’mon get it right. I can make you some cool gadgets that you can like…” The boy did a hand gesture similar to the one of Spider-Man of all people. He almost rolled his eyes. 

“Yo-yo.”

“Ok, and?” Kazuichi did the gestures again, this time with both of his wrists.

“Why–” Hajime lowered his voice, “why would I need webs if I have a yo-yo?”

“It’ll give you more publicity, just think about it.”

“Isn’t that more of a marketing thing?” Hajime raised one brow and sighed. “Look, I don’t need your help or anyone’s help, I kind of have everything already in the bag. Plus I don’t need outside help because I’m not allowed to have anyone know in the first place.”

“At least… Let me help a _little–Oh shit!”_

“Keep it down!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Kazuichi apologized as he started to whisper again before pointing towards Hajime’s shirt. “Your pin! It’s the one that’s on Mister Bug’s suit!”

“H-hey! Don’t speak about that, that’s private information! Don’t even look at it,” he covered it up with his hand and clicked his tongue. “Dammit, I knew I should’ve put it in my pocket instead of–y’know what, whatever–”

“I could ask Chiaki if I can help with the Mister Blog, too!” Kazuichi nearly shouted. A few heads turned their way and he prayed no one heard what he said. Somebody probably did, but they didn’t do anything about it, thankfully. “I’ve had this idea where I can add in a section which only Mister Bug can see. It’s where all the crime locations are so he–you can go over there and check ‘em out.”

“Y’know, I’ve actually had the same idea.”

“Really?” His eyes sparkled. “I can’t program a website, but I can ask Chihiro.”

“Who’s that again?”

“The first year programmer.”

“Ah, right,” Hajime said. “How are you planning on getting those police reports then?”

“Shuichi. Obviously.”

“You really think he’s going to go through with that?”

Kazuichi’s brows furrowed as he looked up from the table. The mechanic stared at Hajime after a second passed. “Why wouldn’t he? He’d be helping everyone.”

“The times you and multiple other people begged Shuichi to keep the police away when you were trying to buy beer. And all those other times when you never invited Shuichi to hang out with us because we were doing ‘illegal’ things. You think he’s going to listen to you?”

“Oh, hey, c’mon! It was just a little graffiti, you make it sound like we were gonna kill someone,” Kazuichi said. “How about you ask for his help and lead him to me? You’re closer to him.”

“It’s not only that, he’d be digging himself a grave if he manages to give the crime reports to us. Plus the suspicion we’d garner. I like your enthusiasm but I doubt it’ll even work, Kazuichi.”

“Man. Are you usually this pessimistic as Mister Bug?”

“Shut up.”

The door to the girl’s bathroom had opened cautiously, slowly, the same way a timid animal would walk out of their cage. Sonia appeared behind the door first, right ahead of Chiaki, whose nose was red along with puffy eyes and drying cheeks. Needless to say, the poor girl looked tired. Hajime had suspicions and worries that Chiaki was a part of the whole Akuma thing that happened a while ago. Knowing that he was correct made him feel worse.

Hajime and Kazuichi got up from their seats and approached the two. The closer they got, the more closed off Chiaki became, looking down at the ground in… Maybe embarrassment? It was hard to place. Sonia saw them and subtly waved them over.

“Chiaki, you alright?” Hajime asked. For a moment, she didn’t respond.

“M-mm. I’m okay now,” she sniffled. “I.. I’m still scared over what happened.”

“We told you that you should’ve stayed home today,” Kazuichi scorned, worry on his face. That was until Sonia shot a razor-sharp glare towards him.

“That is not a very nice thing to say to her. She has been through a lot of stress.”

“Yes, Sonia. Erm, sorry. Chiaki.”

A tiny smile formed on the girl’s lips and she quietly giggled into her hand. “It’s okay. I would’ve been alright if Kokichi hadn’t talked to me, though.”

“Kokichi?” Hajime wondered.

“That boy is always causing trouble,” Sonia stressed. “I swear, and I am not one to do so, he does as he pleases and does not see the consequences of his actions.”

“What did he say to you, Chiaki?” Hajime asked.

“He… He was just talking about the things that might’ve happened if I wasn’t saved. And he was lying a lot. I think.”

“Well, of course he was lying. That’s all that asshole does,” Kazuichi crossed his arms and sneered.

Hajime knew Kokichi was an asshole, but he’s never heard of Kokichi going that far. So far to make someone have a mini breakdown or something of that sort. Didn’t that guy know when to stop? This along with blackmailing him and Chat Noir, what was the point behind all of this?

Something popped in mind, however, the time he saved Shuichi from Akumatization by the Eiffel Tower. When they defeated the Akuma, the guy was still in a daze and he said something rather peculiar. Something about a relationship with Kokichi, as odd as that may seem. That probably explains why they hang out so much. Anyway, if he could ask Shuichi about–

_Ah, but he was Mister Bug when Shuichi told him that…_

In order to get information on Kokichi, he would have to become Mister Bug and talk with Shuichi. But what would he even say? ‘I think your boyfriend is pestering my friends and you should do something about it.’ Ugh, why couldn’t he just walk up to him? Hajime had to think about this. Really think about this. Shuichi wouldn’t date an asshole, and he knew he wouldn’t date an asshole, _so why was he dating an asshole?!_

There had to be something more to do this, but Hajime couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Hajime, you don’t have to look so upset over this,” Chiaki said, interrupting his thoughts. She had a smile on her face like she was already getting better.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I was just thinking.”

“I’m sure Kokichi didn’t mean it. He’s… He’s kind of like that. Shuichi wouldn’t be friends with him if Kokichi was actually mean,” she said.

“Chiaki, you’re way too forgiving,” Kazuichi said.

“It’s what I believe. If you think about it, it makes sense. But, they’re still undecipherable,” she sighed. “Yep.”

“Speaking behind one’s back is called rude behavior. I suggest we do not keep this up,” Sonia clasped her hands together before beaming an elegant smile. “The rest of us were planning on exiting the arcade. Perhaps the three of you would like to join us?”

Kazuichi nodded and murmured out a ‘yes, Miss Sonia,’ before Hajime could speak. 

“Sure, that sounds like a great idea,” Chiaki said. 

“I gotta go.”

Sonia, Chiaki, and Kazuichi turned their heads towards him, Sonia with her lips parted to say something. That was until Kazuichi spoke.

“Ooh, that.”

Hajime wanted to slap him upside the head.

“I-I mean, it’s like, uh… A boy thing!”

_Idiot! That only works with girls!_

“A boy thing?” Chiaki asked.

“It’s not a boy thing, that sounds weird,” Hajime grumbled. “Don’t know why he said… I just gotta be home real soon. I guess I lost track of time. You two be safe. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, already walking towards the door.

“Be safe too, Hajime. Thank you for inviting me,” Chiaki smiled. 

“I hope you feel better,” he said, already opening the door and walking off.

The boy walked to his usual place during these times, towards some random alleyway that he was sure no one scoured around in for a while. The tall buildings blocked the sun from peering overhead and glaring down at him, so he assumed he was safe for now.

Safe meaning, safe from other eyes. He wasn’t safe from the struggling located in his jacket’s pocket. Two antennas peaked over the flap until Vyxaam appeared with the most ferocious look a little thing like him could muster. This was the time where he would either get everything revoked, a warning, or maybe a yelling fest, he wasn’t too sure but Hajime knew he was anxious for what Vyxaam had to say.

_“Agh!_ What was that?!”

Hajime’s shoulders tightened. “It was an accident.”

“You said he’s bad at keeping secrets, right? What are we gonna do?! Oh nooo, no, no, no, they can’t have you quitting Mister Bug this early! What happens if everyone figures out you’re Mister Bug? That wouldn’t be good, good for me, for you, it’d be good for Hawkmoth–and that’s not good at all! This has _never_ happened before.”

“I know… That,” Hajime nearly stammered. He messed around with his collar in a fit of nervousness, unsure of what to do. Well, what was there to do in this situation anyway? “I’ll make him shut up about it. If he won’t keep a secret, then I won’t keep a secret either.”

“E-eh?! Are you gonna out yourself as Mister Bug?”

“No–no, of course not,” Hajime blurted. “If I catch Kazuichi talking anything remotely about me and my whole _thing_ going on, I’ll talk about one of his secrets. Yeah. Yeah, that’s what I’m gonna do.”

“Blackmail?” Vyxaam seemed to sink lower as he floated in front of him, a parallel to dropping his shoulders in disappointment. “Haven’t you had enough of that lately? You’re supposed to be moral as Mister Bug, not backstabbing!”

“If I want to convince Kazuichi to bite his tongue, I’ll have to go through desperate measures. Think of it as conditioning.”

“C-conditioning?!”

“What else do you want me to do?” Hajime gestured. “In order to make someone keep a secret, you have to really dig it into them.”

Vyxaam rubbed at his temples, a thing he began to do a few days after he became Hajime’s Kwami. “I… I guess so… But if _anyone else finds out about this,_ we’re gonna be doomed! And that Kokichi kid already knows too! Ergh, too many people know already, this is the downside of having a Mister Bug at Hope’s Peak. You know, I try to act all cool about everything, but your carelessness has really gotten on my nerves!”

“Hey, some of this isn’t my fault. I wouldn’t have known Kazuichi was coming to the backrooms. At most a worker would’ve seen me, but Kazuichi?” Hajime dragged a hand down his face. “And Kokichi doesn’t count.”

“If Chat Noir was transforming behind trash cans, then you must’ve done something just as careless. You need to step up your game and _act_ like Mister Bug, Hajimeee,” he whined. After a moment of collecting themselves, thinking about what the hell had happened earlier, they sighed simultaneously. Talk about timing.

“Chat Noir transformed behind a trash can because he probably thought his luck would save his ass,” Hajime murmured in annoyance. “But, okay. Alright. From now on I’ll do better.”

“That’s good to hear,” Vyxaam smiled. The smile disappeared as he scolded him once more with a tap on his nose. Hajime went cross-eyed at the flash of his weak little hit on the bridge of his nose, but the Kwami quickly flew away from him and placed his hands on his waist. “Okay, let’s get ready.”

“Spots on!” Hajime called.

* * *

He expected to see some familiar faces today. As Mister Bug, his usual sightings were a few reporters, fanboys, fangirls, and the fans in between, some crime, and most definitely Chat Noir. What he wasn’t expecting was a lady dressed in a black suit with well done curly red hair, a phone next to her ear, and a face of pure relief as soon as her eyes spotted Hajime swinging around. The woman waved her arm, and usually, this meant she was a fan saying hi, but this woman was… Really into that wave. Like it meant her life to wave her arm as passionately as she was. Hajime swung down as he landed right in front of her, maybe a few meters away.

“Mister Bug, I’m so glad I was able to catch your attention, I have a special request for you,” the woman breathed in. Deeply. “It’s extremely important and it would do both you and I a great amount of service, you see, my name is Julie Contee, I’m a reporter, I’m also an interviewer, so not only I but my company would love to have you on our set if you have the time, it’s for having Paris know who you two are, to get more accustomed to your presence and to appreciate you two and your work.”

Hajime couldn’t help but to part his lips only slightly. The woman talked fast and he hoped she didn’t talk that fast when on live television. Whatever. “Uh. Yeah, sure, that’d be great,” Julie’s eyes lit up. The thought of him agreeing to her offer being the sole reason her job was saved made Hajime antsy. That probably wasn’t even the case, but the way her face morphed into relief and happiness gave him the feeling that he was right. _Nah._ No of course not. That thought alone was rude, he should stop putting Mister Bug on such a high pedestal, jeez.

“I appreciate you accepting this offer, Mister Bug, it’s a great honor,” she smiled, readying her notepad and placing her ballpoint pen on the paper. “The interview is next week, Wednesday to be exact. Around 6:30 PM. It’s located at the Rulehaut building north of here. How does that sound?”

Hajime nodded. “Yeah, I’m free. I’m pretty sure Chat Noir is as well. I could ask him.”

“No need to worry about that, we’ve already got him booked.”

Hajime’s eyes widened. “Ah, really. How did that go?”

Julie’s lips straightened into a line before twisting back into a smile. Hajime felt her struggles personally. “It went… Very well!”

“Mm,” Hajime skeptically replied. “That’s… great to hear. Well, I appreciate you inviting us. I’ll see you there. Thanks,” he waved, swinging his yo-yo around his finger as he got ready to leave.

Julie’s shoulders lowered and she gave him a warm smile. “Thank you so much for accepting our offer, we’re excited to see you there!”

Hajime wasn’t sure how this would turn out and he wasn’t sure if it would be exciting or a huge train wreck and he was not mentally prepared for that. His main concern wasn’t his identity getting out there despite what had just happened an hour ago. No, his main concern was Chat Noir. Chat Noir wasn’t exactly what you would call ‘hero’ material. The more Hajime got to know him, the more he realized he sounded like a delusional anti-hero who just so happened to be following the good side from sheer will. Something you wouldn’t expect from someone with the label of ‘anti-hero.’

He tried to shrug off the nagging feelings of anxiety, but they wouldn’t fade away. A part of him thought canceling the interview would’ve been a better idea, but letting Chat Noir talk on live television with his crazy ideas was something he’d much rather try and stop from happening. And how he would do that was to attend the interview anyway.

So. _It was practically inevitable._


End file.
